Heart-Blood Cement
by Kirabaros
Summary: The team gets a case that takes them to Austin, Texas to the historic suburb of Hyde Park. It seems that someone is killing veterans after torturing them. The team tries to solve this case but it becomes a bit complicated when Reid's best friend becomes involved. From the teaser titled Shore Leave, Heart-Blood Cement introduces Michael Nassar, Reid's long time friend with a past.
1. Chapter 1

**Heart-Blood Cement**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Austin, Texas_

The evening just started but it was pretty typical for Marie Ross since she was a night student at the University of Texas and she studied every night to get the grades that she had earned since becoming a student last fall. It was her ambition to study the Middle East and possibly work for the State Department since her field was in Middle Eastern studies but she had expanded to communications. It was a strong ambition and one that had been encouraged by her neighbor mostly because he told stories of his father's life in Afghanistan and his trips there. It also helped that his son was home and could give some insight though he seemed at times at a loss as to the why she was interested.

Even though the US had been engaged in the war on terror, Marie had been fascinated by the people that lived in that part of the world. Some things she didn't approve of but in her mind, they were people and they had their ways just as the west had theirs and it was okay to be different. These days she would be considered a liberal hippy but she would wear that badge proudly and gladly get into a verbal spar if she had to.

As it were though, she was not staying late to study. Rather she was heading to an interview for a project for class. She had two already done and needed a few more. One she really wanted was from her neighbor's son but she was hesitant since he was home on medical leave and she didn't want to press. The others had been willing to talk to her but her neighbor's son had a very unique perspective and she thought that it would help. He had been willing to tell her a few stories but nothing substantial. Anyway, that was a battle for another day. Right now she was heading to her interviewee who was a specialist in communications for the US army, honorable discharge and had agreed to it.

She drove through the streets of the Hyde Park neighborhood, marveling that the people she had interviewed so far lived within the same neighborhood. She had a couple in nearby Rosedale but it seemed that this was focal point. It was interesting but it didn't really matter to her. She kept driving, following the instructions that had been given to her.

She found the house easily enough. It was a typical bungalow home and nicely kept even though her interviewee had bouts of depression as a result of his deployment. Her mother thought that she should have gone into psychology since she spent so much time with his kind and had to deal with all sorts of issues that cropped up. Maybe she should have and she did take a couple of psych courses more for fun and to have some understanding. She was under the impression that the more you knew about certain things, it was able to bridge gaps. This was one of those things.

She parked her car and gathered her messenger bag, checking to make sure she had everything for the interview. She looked around since it was unusually quiet for the evening and she didn't see people out. The neighborhood wasn't particularly dangerous but you still had to be careful about what you were doing. It just unnerved her and she hurried to shut and lock her car. She took brisk steps up to the front porch and knocked on the door.

She frowned when there was no response and she tried again. She called, "Mr. Harrison? Mrs. Harrison? It's me Marie."

It was puzzling since the lights were on and their car was in the garage. The Harrisons were a young couple and eager to start a family. It was one of the few things that Mr. Harrison brightened over and helped him with his issues. She knocked a little harder on the door after ringing the doorbell and stepped back when the door opened with a slow click as the striker was freed.

Marie felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck and hesitated. She wanted to go in to make sure the Harrison's were okay but something was up and it didn't feel right. Still, she couldn't leave without checking. She looked around and pulled out the pipe used to turn on the sprinklers and held it, ready to use as a weapon. She opened the door and entered the house and prayed that any possible nosy neighbors didn't see her as a burglar or something.

She started in the foyer and looked around. The last time when she agreed to an interview from Mr. Harrison, he interviewed her in the living room, mostly asking questions about her and what the purpose her asking him questions was about. She humored him and went along, answering questions and didn't blame him for being careful. She accepted it and was pleased that he was willing to have her come back. She decided to start there.

The living room surprised her in that it was a mess. Marie knew that Mrs. Harrison was the one that kept tight reigns on cleanliness. This was unusual and confirmed that there was something not right here in the house. She held her weapon ready and called out, "Mr. Harrison, it's me Marie. The door was opened and I want to make sure you're okay." She walked through the halls, making sure that she wasn't going to get surprised by checking the corners.

It was the kitchen that had her gasping in shock as she found Mrs. Harrison on the ground, bleeding from a wound on her head. There was a large puddle of blood and at first Marie didn't know if the woman was dead or not. At least not until the woman moaned and Marie checked for a pulse. She put down the weapon and dialed 9-1-1 while trying not to panic.

She managed to give a description until she turned to face the door she had entered. Her throat choked up as she saw something that made her want to throw up right then and there. What the hell happened here?

 _BAU_

It was pretty much the usual at the BAU as Spencer Reid adjusted the shoulder strap to his messenger bag. He was deep in thought as he thought about the lack of phone calls he had come to expect around this time. It puzzled him and had him worried and surreptitious inquiry through Garcia got him nothing. He wondered if one of his worst fears that hung around in the back of his mind had happened.

He greeted his friends Derek Morgan and Emily Prentiss with his usual greeting and prayed that they wouldn't notice that something was off. He was to have luck in that regard as he set his stuff down and went to the conference room for debrief. He would have to think of something else without making waves and try to take to the idea that something happened and it wasn't a bad thing and that there was a perfectly logical explanation to what was going on.

Sitting in his customary seat, he accepted the paper copy of the file that Penelope Garcia handed to him and turned his attention to the screen. He blinked when he saw the DMV photos of three victims and some crime scene photos pop up. The nature of this job was that they saw some pretty brutal things and they could give you nightmares.

"Alright crime fighters, let me bring your attention to Austin, Texas," Garcia's voice started with her usual cheery peppiness.

Reid listened, not worried about forgetting it since he had an eidetic memory, as it seemed the clouds opened up. The name of the city brought back memories and one that had been elusive from a conversation a long time ago. It occurred to him that this might be the answer to the questions that had been plaguing him the last couple of days. He filed that away as he kept his attention on the briefing. He had a job to do and he could imagine the scolding.

"So all three victims were abducted from their homes where they were missing for three days and then their bodies turn up." Garcia was giving a professional look but she couldn't hide the horror that lined her features when she pulled up more detailed images. "If there was a spouse, they were beaten and left in the house."

"So we have two men and one woman, all taken and then three days later are dumped."

"Coroner reports," Garcia nodded to David Rossi's query as she spoke, "indicate that each victim was put under extreme physical torture; beatings, indications of electrocution, burn marks… whatever you can think of before they were slashed across the throat and they bled out." She swallowed slightly since the sight was not pretty and very…

Reid studied the images and noticed a few things and asked, "Garcia… are all of the victims servicemen currently serving or not?"

"That was how they were identified actually since no ID was found on the bodies," Garcia replied with a nod. "All three were honorably discharged. All Army. The same for the fourth victim." She clicked up another image. "Richard Harrison, formerly a sergeant, expert in communications just recently discharged from the Army after three years in Afghanistan. According to the police report he was to have an interview with a college student for a paper. The student arrived, found the door opened and the wife in the kitchen bleeding on the floor."

"Consistent with the others," Morgan pointed out grimly. "So the unsub is attacking servicemen a grudge maybe?" He looked at Aaron Hotchner with a raised brow.

"Maybe. Austin PD has asked us to look into it since there is a clear pattern and no leads," Hotchner replied as he looked at the information on his tablet.

"There is one more thing," Garcia pointed out. She waited until she had the attention of the room before clicking the button on her clicker. "Austin PD found these painted in blood in the kitchen of every house."

Reid studied the images. He heard slight sounds from the changes in breathing or the whispering gasps of Emily but ignored them. He started at the writing written in blood. He recognized the phrase and was able to answer along with Emily when Rossi asked for what it said, "There is no God by God. It's the first part of the declaration of Islam. With…"

"The second being and Mohammed is his prophet," Emily finished giving an apologetic look to Reid. "There is a splinter terrorist group out of Afghanistan that has been using this declaration when they attack villages."

"And now they are here stateside," Morgan pointed out, "Could we be looking at a terrorist attack."

"Austin PD kept it quiet to reduce a panic since there are some families in the Hyde Park neighborhood where the bodies were discovered that have ties to Afghanistan but they are being cautious," Garcia offered.

"So it could be someone with a grudge and is trying to start a race war maybe?" Rossi frowned at the idea as he looked at Hotchner.

"Either way, since this is a serious allegation we're heading to Austin. Wheels up in thirty."

~0~0~0~0~

Reid stared down at the file on his lap while he listened to the ring tone. He knew he was probably going to get yelled at if it connected but he was willing to take the hits and if he had something for the case at hand…

 _Hello?_

Reid blinked, surprised that he had gotten through this time. He stammered a bit before saying, "Hey, sorry about the timing…"

 _No problem. I'm sorry about the lack of it._

Reid felt his lip twitch slightly and focused on why he had made the call, "Yeah, um… you're still active right?"

 _What of it?_

"Your zone right?"

 _Yeah. What do you need?_

If Reid had been taken aback by the lack of questions, he didn't show it. Rather he rambled off what had been on his mind knowing his contact wasn't going to mind a bit, "Just if you have anything on the group that uses that phrase you showed me once." He didn't go into detail since it was clear they were on the same page.

 _What's this about?_

"Case in Austin."

 _I'll look into it._

Reid wasn't sure but he thought he heard a slight hesitancy in the voice. He frowned a little at that since that didn't sound right. He checked his watch and when he noticed the time he realized his blunder. He was really going to have to make amends. Still, he was going to get more information for the team to work with at least for a possible angle that he hoped wouldn't be true. It could be an excuse to start a race war but something about that didn't sit right with him.

"So… who is she?"

Startled from the question, Reid looked up to see Emily looking at him and grinning. He replied, "Ah… who?" He frowned trying to puzzle what it was that was said to him.

Emily chuckled as she took the seat across from him, "Oh come on Reid. You've been anxious all morning and then a secret call… spill."

"It isn't a girl," Reid replied firmly. As much as it was amusing to the others to tease him about his love life or lack thereof, he was not into misleading. "I was calling a friend of mine."

"Friend?" Emily was interested. It was rare that Reid ever divulged a bit of his life to the others. So to hear that he had a friend that was outside of the BAU was a treat indeed.

"Not girlfriend," Reid clarified. "Friend of mine from Cal Tech. Best friend actually."

"And?"

"And he might know something about that fringe group that the writing referenced to."

Emily thought about it. So Reid's friend was someone who was fluent in Arabic script and possibly Farsi. More just opened up on the mystery of his friend. "So he works international?"

Reid was well aware that he was making it difficult just answering questions and not divulging but it was force of habit and out of precaution for his friend. He was well aware of the situation and consequences. He was lucky to even have the privilege of knowing what he knew. He would rather have the questions asked and then he could say yes or no or otherwise. It also helped that he was reading the case file again. He replied, "Yep."

"What does he do?"

"Can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

Emily sat back and thought about it as she studied Reid. He usually wasn't so evasive but he had to have a good reason. The only reason he couldn't tell… he more she thought about it, the more the pieces came together. She didn't think though that Reid would know someone like that. Still, it made sense and she would respect that.

"It's the nature of his job."

"I get it. Security."

Reid looked up at Emily. He was certain he had said more than he should have but he didn't want people to think the wrong thing. "Something like that," he allowed. "He knows the area and… things."

That was enough for Emily. While it wasn't specific, this friend of Reid's gave enough to think about and was just about as interesting as the tall, dark and handsome that trolled the BAU a while back. She and Garcia never did find out if he had been a consultant or a new hire. They did know that he visited and that was that. It was still a topic of discussion with other agents and whenever there was talk of something that was related to consultant or new hire, it switched to the mysterious guy. This though was something else and something nagged at Emily to press further but she was a little reluctant to do that. So she asked, "And how long have you known each other?"

"Since Cal Tech. Roommates."

"Really?"

"Best kind," Reid allowed. It was a little personal but it wasn't going into what he had been trying to avoid. "Always studying and not making a lot of noise."

"Like you then?" Emily meant it to be a joke but she was stunned by the look of surprise on Reid's face.

"No even close. He played football."

That had Emily pause. True Reid was friends with Morgan who was intelligent but more athletic whereas Reid was the bookworm and the boy wonder as Garcia called him. "A jock was your roommate?"

"Yeah," Reid replied after thinking about it. "He's rated Mensa. So he's a… smart jock." He gave a smile at that.

Emily raised her brow and if she did it anymore, her eye brows would be buried in her hair line. It was the most bizarre conversation she had. What Reid essentially told her was that his friend was a genius who was also into sports and obviously had a job that was dangerous and required secrecy. It was hardly believable and yet this was Reid. He really couldn't tell a lie; he was terrible at it. She took in Reid's smile and asked, "You're kidding right?"

Reid shook his head in innocence, "No. He's rated Mensa and plays football and he has a liking for music."

Emily decided to leave it at that and left Reid to his own devices. If Reid didn't want to tell her about his friend he could have said so instead of making her ask the questions and he give the answers. Then again… It was puzzling and she decided to focus on the case. She sat back in her seat and pulled her copy of the case file up and started looking at it.

Reid knew that he probably had annoyed Emily but he was only doing it to protect his friend. He could tell Hotchner about it and he would understand having met his friend previously, him and Gideon. He didn't though more out of force of habit after all these years, ever since his friend told him he changed careers. He never questioned his friend's reasoning but rather embraced the decision and offered and agreed to be a listening ear. When he learned of the new protocols, he accepted it like it was nothing but his friend often called to check up on him and ask if he was okay with it.

To some it might have seemed over bearing and insecurities rising. Maybe it was but Reid knew his friend was all about others and sometimes at the expense of himself. He remembered when school police had to be called to the dorms and a trip to the emergency room followed that. It had been the talk of the school for days and Reid had become popular because of that, at least for the incident that happened. When the fervor died, things went to normal and it was a relief for both him and his friend.

So it wasn't a big deal when Reid found himself with clearances that he didn't know he had but he kept those cards close to the vest. It was a relief that not even Strauss the section chief knew about it though he suspected that was a possibility and she was biding her time. That was pushed to the back of his mind as he concentrated on the file and then on the briefing and assignments were handed out. He was making sure he had everything when his phone rang.

"Girlfriend?" Morgan teased Reid with a knowing grin.

Reid looked at the number and recognizing it, he answered, "Hey, I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon." He walked towards the rear of the plane for privacy, unaware that the team was watching and curious about what was going on.

 _I had time._

Reid made a slight sound at that, "You didn't have to work that fast on account of me."

 _Considering you rarely ask me for help…_

Reid made a slight face at that, "You know that's not true."

 _I do. But it's fun to hear you roll your eyes at me._

Reid made a slight face at the chuckles on the other end. He really was paying for the fact that he hadn't paid attention to the time when he made the call. He retorted, "And I'm sure it's fun to make me think the worst. You missed the check in."

 _Sorry about that, Spence. I had a situation and…_

"It's okay, I know." Reid made a gesture with his hand as if he were placating someone even though they weren't there. "Just… you were going to tell me about it."

 _And I will. It was a go._

Reid gave a slight smile, "Really?"

 _Yeah. I'll have to come out and see you soon._

"Yeah. Same drill."

 _Right. So… about what you asked me. I managed to dig out my info. Now I can have it brought over to the station but you do realize I am giving you intel that hasn't even been released yet, right?_

"I know."

 _Good cause what I have… I don't think it is pertinent to your case but I will have it for you when you arrive._

Reid knew that he was getting the equivalent to the keys of his dad's car. It was not something he took lightly nor abused. He nodded, "Okay. Thank you."

 _No problem. And Spence, I am sorry. I'll make it up to you._

"Just do what you do best," Reid replied with honesty.

 _Right. See ya._

The phone clicked to indicate his friend had hung up. Reid paused and took a breath. He turned to see the team trying hard not to look conspicuous even though they had likely been watching him the entire time. The worst was coming from both Morgan and Emily and he was glad Garcia wasn't with them or on speaker. She would have been pestering or worse trying to find out about his caller using everything that lay at her fingertips. It would have bene amusing to see her hit dead ends but it also would have made him react and that would just encourage them more.

Deciding to play their game in that they were just sitting there, he decided to at least give them a breadcrumb so that there were no wild speculations, "Just a contact who may have some information on that splinter group."

Reid didn't miss the slight looks of disappointment when he refused to go further and instead focused on Hotchner. The team leader understood and gave his approval before directing the team to last minute business before touch down. It was a moment of relief but Reid knew that this discussion would be far from over.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! Here we are with the first chapter, by encouraging reviews, of a fic introducing the character from the teaser Shore Leave. The team gets a case in Austin, Texas and Reid introduces a friend who may be able to help. Stay tuned for more Heart-Blood Cement...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

If someone told him that he would be caught up on another assignment that would involve his best friend, he would have told them to go to hell. There was no way that his best friend would ever know the details about what he did and no way that he would get involved. He was dead wrong and he didn't expect it. Not at eight in the morning.

Michael Nassar was not one to share details of his work to anyone. It was a whole security issue, nature of the job thing. That was what his best friend and almost brother understood and went with it despite his repeated queries making sure that Spencer Reid was okay with it. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened to the only friend he had that understood him on most levels. Reid would probably say the same and meant it. So it was unexpected when his cell phone rang, jolting him from the first full night of pain free sleep since he got in.

Glancing over to see the left side empty, Michael made a slight sound and rolled over to his nightstand to grab the cell phone that was never out of reach. He was ready to growl if he was being called AHOD and that was cruel and unusual punishment even for his boss. He saw the number and answered, "Hello?"

 _Hey, sorry about the timing…_

Michael couldn't help but grin as he propped himself up in bed to better hear this, "No problem. I'm sorry about the lack of it." The grin got bigger when he heard the uncertainty on the other end.

 _Yeah, um… you're still active right?_

Michael immediately paid attention. There was no way that Reid would ask him that unless there was something that he should be aware of. Then again it could be more of a fact finding thing in his area. He kept his voice calm but was aware that it came out a little gruff, "What of it?"

 _Your zone right?_

Michael frowned at that. There was something definitely going on and the brotherly instincts he had for his best friend started making themselves known. He winced slightly when his lower back started to twinge and adjusted his position while looking at the hated bottle of pain medication on the nightstand. "Yeah. What do you need?"

 _Just if you have anything on the group that uses that phrase you showed me once._

Michael's spine stiffened when Reid explained what was going on in that one sentence. Had it been a normal situation, he would have been proud at Reid's ability to talk without telling what was going on to others was improving. It was a necessary thing between them when he explained he had gotten him additional clearances. Again Reid accepted it like it was nothing and while it had him worried initially because Reid didn't go into his feelings, he was okay with it because he trusted Reid. Still hearing that… that meant it was serious.

Schooling his body to remain calm even though he was tempted to jump out of bed and gear up, he asked, "What is this about?"

 _Case in Austin._

Michael paused and blinked. _Here, in Austin._ He closed his eyes and remembered a discussion from last night. Right. And if it involved that? He shook his head since that was an impossibility. The general would have said something even if he was on medical leave. And Reid was involved… "I'll look into it."

After hanging up, Michael sat up and dangled his legs over the edge of the bed and hunched over to think. There was no way they would be stateside. That was ridiculous. Though probably improbable. They would have heard chatter. He winced when the achiness from his lower back took over and he straightened out only to hiss from the sharp pain that followed. He wrapped an arm around his middle and took a couple of deep breaths and studied his free hand.

The fingers were giving a slight twitch but he could make out the slight burns. Turning his hand over, he saw the scrapes and burns and the near impalement on the top of his hand. Staring at it, he could heard the voices and the whimpers, the crying. He took a deep breath as he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. They were gone for now.

Standing up, he gingerly walked to the bathroom, pausing only to grab a towel and a few other things. Fifteen minutes later he was out of the shower feeling a little better but the dull throbbing in his back and ribs persisted. He ended up scowling at the tube of meds and he pocketed them in his cargo pants before heading downstairs with his laptop under his arm.

"Thought you were going to sleep in?"

Michael paused to give the woman standing at the stove a warm smile and a kiss. "I was. Then I wasn't," he replied before taking a seat at the prep counter. The stool seat would be murder on his back but he didn't feel like walking the extra distance to the table. "You know I like your cooking, Sarai," he grinned and added, "Nice and crispy."

Sarai gave a mocking scowl at him and threw the dishtowel at his head. "Better than that slop they feed you at base." She finished what she was doing and brought two plates over. She put one in front of him and of her. "You need me," she said with a smirk.

"More than you know," Michael replied as he leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. He gave her a smile and said a blessing over the meal and waited for the inevitable questions as he picked up his fork.

"Sleep well?"

"Now you're asking rhetorical questions," he replied with a smirk. "But to answer that. Yes. Because of you." He stared at her, looking at her golden brown orbs and soft brown hair.

"And flattery gets you nowhere," Sarai replied feeling pleased nevertheless. She smiled and leaned on her elbows. "But it works for you. I married you didn't I?"

Michael hummed at that as he studied his wife. He was always watchful and he had paid attention since what happened to her still was on her mind even though she tried to hide it. He was just surprised that she agreed to marry him after all that but there was no doubt that he loved her. "And I'm still trying to figure out why, doc," he said as he rested his hand on his chin.

"Only because you are a charmer."

Michael rolled his eyes slightly at the voice that entered. He heard his wife chuckle gently as she went back to eating breakfast. "And you wonder why I don't like coming home." He turned to greet his older sister, "Morning, Sophia."

Sophia glared at her younger brother and reminded him, "It's Sophie."

"Sophia."

Sarai couldn't help but laugh and tried to hide it while she drank her cup of tea. She watched as Michael drank from his mug of coffee and grin at his older sister. Michael simply smiled at his sister knowing that he was the only one who could get away with calling her by her given name. Even their parents called her Sophie or the pet name they bestowed her. He stared at her waiting to see what she would do.

Sophia glared at him with no heat in the expression. "You're lucky you're my little brother." She gave him a gentle headlock.

"Hey, watch it. Still stiff here."

Sophia released him, knowing that he didn't mean it. In retaliation, she mussed his hair, glad that he hadn't been ordered to cut it shorter. It didn't seem right. She eyed the laptop on the prep counter and asked, "Thought you were on leave."

"I am. Just a favor." Michael offered a shrug. He knew he was going to have to ask and he didn't mind Sarai was there. She was privy to the same things as Reid was. "Are you still working the case you were telling Dad about?"

"The one with the vets?" Sophia frowned, wondering why her brother was getting interested. She didn't mind that he hadn't shown interest when he showed up, married and looking like someone had beaten the tar out of him. Once he explained, she understood and let him be and made sure her kids understood but he said it was okay.

"Yes."

Sophia studied her brother and noticed the intense expression he got on his face. He was serious and she gave a glance at his wife. When she saw that he was okay with her being there, she cleared her throat, "We just had another victim the other night. Harrison, sergeant. Taken and his wife was beaten."

Michael processed that information aware that he appeared that he was looking like an insensitive asshole about it but he was deep in thought as he was processing. He asked, "And the writing?"

"How do you know about that?"

"You contacted the BAU," he said more than asked.

"We have no leads, Mike," Sophia replied, becoming a little uncomfortable even though she was used to this. "They can help." Then she remembered, "You mean… your friend works for them?"

"He called and asked me about something that I shared with him and said that it was based in Austin." Michael stared at his sister, aware that he was looking like a grunt giving a report. It helped considering that his back was starting to ache. He took another sip of his coffee more to distract him from it as he continued, "I put two and two together. Are they saying all the same thing or are they different?"

Sophia stared at her brother. No matter what she was always amazed at what he could do. No doubt he was running that elaborate system in his head regarding numbers and spatial relationships and they wove together to come to a logical conclusion. He figured out murder mysteries within the first chapter and often would predict the outcome of games with accuracy based on percentages and averages. When he changed careers, she thought he was nuts wasting his talents. Now she could see how it was valuable.

Michael had been declared a prodigy, math, at a young age. He was asking questions about higher mathematics at the age of six when most kids were asking about why the sky was blue. His reading consumption was advanced to college and some graduate level when he was twelve and always in the technical science. He was fascinated with how everything was pieced together and likened the world to a complex machine with gears and cogs. It was a source for bullying but he held his own since she took it upon herself to teach him what the vast majority of people called normal.

He left for college at Cal Tech and flourished. He didn't say much but she knew he had a friend there and she got to meet him when she went over for a visit. She couldn't understand the connection but it was there and no doubt Michael would have explained it in his technical way. Then Michael decided to try law school after completing his bachelor's and doctoral degrees and graduated, passed the bar and had been vetted for a very nice firm. It worked out for a time until he decided to up and quit and join the army.

Their father was okay with it. Sophia thought she was glad that his son decided to be more normal. She was worried though. Even Michael was physically not the definition of nerd, it came out in his idiosyncrasies and quirks. She was afraid the hazing would make him wash out and he would be affected negatively. She was wrong but it didn't stop her from worrying especially when he was first deployed. She still worried but it seemed that things were working out since he met Sarai Carter, M.D. who was doing missionary work as a doctor in Afghanistan and they met and… She didn't have the details but enough to know and see that she loved her brother very much and her brother was the same.

Seeing that he was waiting for an answer, she replied, "We gave them the first one. The one that has you wound up tighter than a spring. The others are different but still alarming." She stared at him hoping that he got that. "It's why we called the BAU."

"Makes sense now." Michael nodded before swerving and opened his laptop. He started typing his passwords into it and clicking on icons.

"You want to tell me what this is about?"

"You know I can't. It's bad enough that I am getting this for Spence." Michael didn't look up from his typing. He was brought out of it when the lid was snapped shut and turned to see his sister. He groused, "Sophie…"

"Michael," Sophia replied. She had used his full name indicating she was serious. "I know you can't read me in like you want to and you think you have to protect me from what you know and do, but if this is serious, I need to know. I'm the one working this case."

Michael studied his sister for a moment. He knew that and that was what was troubling. It was déjà vu with Sarai but he couldn't voice it. Luckily Sarai, understood and reached over to give his hand a reassuring squeeze. Taking a breath he nodded, "Okay, but only you and Spence get the full story. Unless you want me to brief."

"Up to you."

"Understand that this is stuff that is fresh, some verified and some not and we have been working on catching them. I don't think they are stateside because of the different writings but… better safe than sorry." He shifted in his seat to ease the throbbing in his lower back and more out of nervous habit, one he hadn't done in a long time.

Sophia recognized the shift and nodded. "Okay. I have to get to work and greet them since I am on point." She paused at the door and added, "Be careful, Mike."

Michael nodded and turned back to his laptop and stared at it a moment before opening it. He blocked out everything else as he focused on the request that his friend asked of him. He did acknowledge the shoulder rub from his wife and hummed in contentment as he reached for his phone and dialed the number.

 _Hey, I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon._

"I had time."

~0~0~0~0~

It was dark and it smelled musty. Richard lifted his head as he looked around. It was complete darkness and he couldn't see anything. He blinked when he felt the sting in his head. He gave a twist to shake it off and found that he was bound to the chair he had been propped in. He frowned since he couldn't see the bindings but he could tell they were tight.

"Sergeant Harrison."

Richard stiffened as he heard his name and rank. He didn't recognize the voice. It was raspy and low. He couldn't tell it was a man though. There was no disguising that. He didn't say anything but looked around even though there was no light for him to see by. He could tell though that his captor was in the room.

"Sergeant Richard Harrison."

Richard continued to look around even though he felt the cold chill down his spine. He recognized this as the last roll call. He had been through a couple of those when he was in the service. The first two had been sounded. The last… he was certain that he was going to die because of that. He felt his breathing start to accelerate.

"Sergeant Richard Emerson Harrison."

Richard straightened up and pursed his lips. He didn't want to die he just had to figure out how to get free. That bastard after all hit his Kitty and he didn't know if she was dead or alive. All he saw was her on the ground. First thought was to get her help and then he felt the hit to his head. The bastard.

He tugged his wrists upwards to try and get free. He pulled and felt the bindings burn at his wrists as he twisted them and pulled. He ended up rocking in his seat as he pulled and struggled. It was then that he was roughly shoved over and he landed on his side. He cried out as he felt his teeth bite into his tongue. His mouth filled with the sanguine taste of blood and grimaced from it as he felt pain in his head, realizing that he had smacked it on the ground.

"That was very naughty of you to do."

Richard looked up and glared in the direction the voice came from. "You bastard. What do you want? What did you do to my wife?"

It was abrupt when Richard found himself being moved to an upright position. It was disorienting since he wasn't the one righting himself and he couldn't really move his own limbs. He grunted when he was put right side up and he swirled the spit in his move and managed to clear out his mouth, spitting out blood and saliva. He grunted some more when a light went on blinding him for a moment until he could see that he was in a room that looked like a basement but it was devoid of anything in it. It was like a prison cell.

Richard looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on and worried about his Kitty. He couldn't see anything beyond the ring of light that was hanging overhead. He knew that his captor was still in the room since he could smell him and hear him breathe. He tried again, "What do you want?"

The shock had him grit his teeth and he grunted in pain as the electricity coursed through him. He almost bit his lip as it coursed through his body and when it was gone, he took deep breaths and trying not to pant, otherwise he would hyperventilate. He flexed his fingers more to relieve the tension that was coursing throughout his body and dispel the residual feeling of being electrocuted. He pursed his lips together and his breaths came out like snorts.

"You know what you did," the voice came.

Richard shook his head, "I have no idea what you're… argh!"

The bolt of electricity felt like it was shooting down his spine. He felt his nails dig down into the wood of the armrest of the chair that he was in. They scrapped the wood and he felt it dig under his nails. That was nothing. He wanted it to stop but it had dawned on him that this was something that he had feared when he was over there and now he was getting it in his own backyard.

"Don't lie. You were there. You all were there."

Richard panted when the pain resided and looked down. He had no idea what this guy was talking about. There were a few things that he had done but it was because it was his job. Then the few times that he had to sit and listen to what was going on at the other end. It was enough to fill your head with the worst things ever. It caused nightmares when he got back. He took a couple of deep breaths trying to figure out what this was about when he was suddenly doused with ice cold water. The shock of it caused him to splutter sit up straight, pulling against his restraints. "What the…"

Another wave of ice cold water hit him dead in the face and Richard gasped for breath. He opened his mouth and spit out the water that got into it and watched it splash onto the ground. It was gross to look at but he had no other recourse as he tried to get over the fact that he had been shocked and given and ice water dunking. He was lucky he didn't have the cold shock response. He spit out more water since it left a vile taste in his mouth.

"You will answer my questions. And maybe I will let you go."

Richard blinked at that. If this was a POW torture or 'enhanced interrogation' then there was no way he was getting out of it easily. It did send a bit of a chill down his spine since he had never been placed in that situation before. He didn't know if he could do it. All he could think about was Kitty and if she was okay. He had seen the blood from her head wound and stupidly he remembered that head wounds bled a lot but that didn't mean she was okay. There could be damage he couldn't see and he panicked at the thought of not being able to see her again.

"You can get it out you know. I know the drill with you types. Name… rank… serial."

Richard looked ahead since that was where the voice was coming from. Something told him that if he cooperated it wasn't going to end well. But the same could be said if he didn't cooperate. It was the way that his captor said it though. The way he said the one thing that a soldier should say if they were being interrogated as a POW. There was a dark tone to it. Like his captor knew what it meant. Did that mean…?

The smack to the back of his head came out of nowhere. Richard cursed that he couldn't see his captor. That all he could see was what the light overhead was giving him and it wasn't even a good light. His other senses told him that it was musty and old. He couldn't think of any places like that in Austin. He made an annoyed sound when he got a second smack to the back of the head and glared in a direction.

"I told you. Play this right. Name… rank… serial."

Richard gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to play this game, he decided. He replied, "What did you do to my wife?"

The punch came from the left followed by, "You will do as you are told. Now tell me: name… rank… serial."

Richard snorted through his nose. His cheek stung from the punch. From the look of things it was a pretty well placed punch. The guy knew what he was doing. He knew how to fight. Then again if he was ex-military, he would have learned how to fight. But some of the guys in his unit had pasts and had fighting skills that made them unique. And then there were techniques that only Special Forces taught. So he was at a loss but he was certain this guy was once a military man.

By the sounds of breathing, Richard could tell that the guy was losing patience. Something was telling him that he needed to play the role he was assigned or he was going to get worse than cold shock therapy and electrocution. Huffing and through gritted teeth he replied, "Richard… Harrison… Sergeant…" He paused to take a breath.

The violent grabbing of his hard and the shake that came with it made Richard grit his teeth. He belted out, "724…"

"No. Start again."

Richard blinked in disbelief, like he couldn't believe this guy. He knew that some people were peculiar. He knew a couple of guys that had minor OCD habits but this was ridiculous. Then again he remembered one guy who was meticulous and repetitive when it came to deployment orders. He shook his head and said, "I already…"

The punch cut the inside of his cheek and blood started dripping out of his mouth. Richard spat a little as he grimaced since he felt the sting of the cut to his cheek. Oh yeah he was racking some big time points. He gave a dry spit and didn't like that it was blood. He was going to be a mess if he survived this. He looked in a direction and said, "Richard Harrison… Sergeant… 724698456."

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?"

Richard felt a chill down his spine when he heard those words. He had made up the number just to satisfy the creep since there was no way that he would know that. It felt though that he had just signed something that promised worse things to come. He swallowed when he heard shuffling and clinking. It was then he heard it. The unmistakable sound of a striker clicking and a butane torch igniting. He could see the blue flame indicating the heat. His body tensed as it started to inch its way closer.

* * *

 **A/N:** And enter Michael Nassar, longtime friend of Spencer Reid and a little bit about him. Looks like the unsub is starting his work on Harrison. Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Reid had learned to expect the unexpected while being on the job in the BAU specifically for the job. Real life un-expectancies, he owed that to his best friend, Michael. When he first met Michael Nassar, he thought he was in hell since the man gave off strong vibes of athleticism and a liking for the sport football along with the penchant of going to the gym. He wondered if the man had any inclinations of getting a degree. He was set straight after the first week of classes.

Reid was considered a genius and having an IQ of 187, eidetic memory and the ability to read 20,000 words per minute put him in that category. He didn't expect Michael to actually understand the coursework that he was struggling with until he pointed out an obvious solution. That had him look at his course schedule and saw the books on engineering and chemical engineering with the occasional book on cultures of the world. It prompted curiosity since Michael occasionally said an odd thing like the prodigal roommate returning.

Reid got his first taste of what Michael could do during one of those rare occasions that his roommate convinced him to watch a game, baseball of all things. Reid quoted some, what some would call useless statistics and historic facts about baseball. Michael ended up predicting movements. He would point out to a player and give his averages and then say that he was going to steal third based upon the pitcher's position, the other player's positions. It had him speechless when Michael's prediction came true and people were screaming like crazy and his friend was sitting there with a smirk on his face.

Reid tried other things and that was how he learned Michael had a passion for music. He played piano and guitar and had a voice that had the girls swoon. In return, Michael humored him, Reid thought, and ended up showing him how to encounter social situations. He dragged Reid to school events and explained things. They became a pair and always understood each other. They kept in touch when they graduated and went their separate ways.

The unexpected in life was Michael going into law, passing while completing an engineering doctorate. For fun he said. He passed the bar and ended up at a good firm to start practicing for a year before giving it all up and he joined the military. By the time Reid learned of the career change, it wasn't a surprise anymore. He knew his friend was not the type to be tied down to those careers most people associated with his Mensa rated intelligence. It was like he was an artist with the mind of a genius trapped inside, but he was still his best friend and he knew that he would be able to come through with information for the team on their latest case. He just didn't see the curve ball that had been thrown his way when they met the detective in charge.

Reid had met Sophia only a couple of times when he was at Cal Tech and it became clear that she was overly protective of her little brother but also willing to let him do his thing. She also welcomed him like he was one of the family and for someone who was not fond of touching people, he never thought about it once. He knew that she was a cop but he didn't realize that she was a detective.

Seeing her for the first time in years, Reid was aware that he looked like a fish gasping for air. He composed himself and moved forward when Hotchner moved to introduce him. He cut in before Hotchner spoke, "Sophie, how are you?"

Sophia knew to expect to see Reid. From the way her brother reacted and from what he told her, she knew his friend was a federal agent. FBI no less and with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. She had wondered if he would remember her. Her thoughts were laid to rest when he pushed forward and extended his hand. She smiled at that and grasped his, tempted to pull him into a hug but paused. She did reply, "Nice to see you too, Spencer. Been awhile."

Reid was aware that there were questions that needed to be answered. He decided to give a partial truth, "I met Sophie at Cal Tech. She…"

"I was visiting a relative up there and met this funny guy in the process."

Reid knew that Sophia was trying to help but he knew his friends and Morgan was going to quiz him about her. Of course it would bring pleasure to let him know that she was happily married with one and a half kids. "Actually, you were the one that made the joke. I just ran with it."

The silence was deafening even though the office was bustling. Reid blinked as he looked at everyone and they were staring back like he had just come from an alternate dimension or something. Out of everyone, Sophia was the only one smiling and she saved him by saying, "See? Funny guy." She gestured for them to follow. "I secured the conference room for you to set up. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you, Detective," Hotchner replied in his usual stoic manner. "I'd like for you to work with Agent Jareau for any press releases."

"Not a problem."

Reid watched as Sophia spoke to Hotchner. She was always the one to take charge and had that leadership quality. He prayed that his knowing her wasn't going to cause problems. He prayed to soon when Morgan gave him an elbow bump and asked, "Thought you said it was a friend."

Reid glanced at Sophia and then at Morgan and replied, "She is."

"Emily said it was a he."

"Sophie is his sister."

It would have turned into a Q&A session when Sophia's voice caught there attention, "I know you guys have your own thing but I would really like to bring in someone as a consultant to help with the military side of things. He may be able to help with what hasn't been released."

Reid stiffened slightly since he wasn't sure where this was leading but he felt alarm at what she was implying. Then again if she was requesting it then… He frowned a little as he caught her eye. She gave him a look but that was all as she waited for Hotchner's reply.

"That'll be fine, Detective, but…"

"Trust me, Agent Hotchner, he won't interfere. He's here to consult and help." Sophia gave a look of confidence.

"When can we expect him?"

"I'll give him a call. He's local."

Reid relaxed more when he heard that it was a local. That was a relief. He should have considered that Sophia would have met her fair share of military personnel because of Michael on the rare occasions he went home on leave. He had nothing to worry about anyway since his friend was busy with what he was doing and somehow managed to find time to help them out.

"Reid, I want you to work on the geographical profile," Hotchner was saying.

Reid nodded, "Sure thing, Hotch."

The team dispersed to carry out the tasks that they had been assigned. Reid was left with pinning a scaled city map to the wall. It a planners map, giving layouts of the streets and throughways of the section where the bodies had been found. He wasn't interrupted when he sensed Sophia beside him and said, "You had me worried there."

"With what?"

Reid glanced at Sophia. He knew she wasn't stupid but she liked to make him and Michael spell things out. He learned that the hard way. "I thought you were going to drag Mike into this. He can't."

"I know that, Spencer," Sophia replied with a gentle look. "You're not the only one that has been read into his activities and the one that worries that the way his brain works is going to get him dug into a hole he can't get out of."

"Mike can take care of himself," Reid offered.

"I know he can. Just as I know you can." Sophia studied the youngest of the profilers. She leaned against the wall and watched him work. "So how are things, Spencer? Any problems?"

Reid hesitated at that. In struggling with his dilaudid addiction, he reached out to Sophia since Michael was overseas after the whole conversation with his friend in New Orleans. She dropped everything to come out to DC and help him out citing that he was family and it was what big sisters did for little brothers. She never said a word to anyone about it and told him that it was up to him if he wanted Michael to know and reassured him that her brother would never think less of him. So far he hesitated about talking to Michael about it but there was always Sophia. He replied, "I'm doing fine. No relapses or anything."

"Okay. You know the drill though."

"Yeah." Reid paused in what he was doing and turned to look at her. "Thanks, Sophie."

"You thanked me before."

"But I mean it," Reid stared at her with a serious expression. "Thank you."

Sophia smiled and patted Reid on the shoulder. "Hey, we all need a little help." She cleared her throat and leaned in close and added in a low tone, "Which is why I am warning you that Mike will be here with everything about what you asked for in half an hour."

"So…?" Reid frowned and then answered his own question, "Mike is your consultant?"

"Can you think of anyone better who knows what he knows and has the ability to be discreet to the point of annoying?" Sophia grinned at Reid as she leaned against the wall, watching the knowing expression on his face appear. "Before you ask, he is on leave. Medical."

Reid perked up on that. "Medical? Is it serious?"

"Injury recovery," was all Sophia was willing to say. "You want details, you have to ask him."

Reid took a moment to absorb that information. It made sense now why the lack of calls and then the way how Michael sounded over the phone. A small part of him was upset that he didn't say anything about being in Austin but knowing Michael… it was a matter of pride. Reid couldn't fault him for that since he didn't exactly tell him about his addiction and his captivity.

Sophia watched as Reid processed what she said. She smirked since it was like watching her brother think at times. They were two peas in a pod even though they were complete opposites in a lot of things. "Anyway, thought I'd give you fair warning. I noticed your colleagues are quite interested."

Reid snapped out of his thought process when he heard the inflection in Sophia's tone. He narrowed his eyes slightly at that and retorted, "I said nothing like that."

"Easy, kiddo," Sophia countered, raising her hand up to placate him. "I'm just talking about the fact that you seem to break habit when Mike is in town or just what happened when you walked through my door. I know you're protecting Mike as he does you but it's okay to give a little."

"Better safe than sorry."

"Boy geniuses," Sophia said through a mock exasperated sigh. She smiled as Reid turned to go back to work. She gave him another pat on the shoulder. "Do me proud, kiddo."

Reid said nothing but paused to watch Sophia go about her work. He was well aware that he was going to have to explain things and he could just imagine what Garcia would say if she ever met Sophia. Already it seemed that the wrong idea was going through people's heads. At least Hotchner and Rossi were convinced that it was a passing acquaintance and no romantic entanglements. Like that was possible since Sophia was older than he was.

Snorting at the ridiculous thought, Reid turned to the map and started to make notations on it. While he occasionally made moments awkward with random rattling of statistics and facts with a common thread of an element to the case, he knew that sometimes little things made a big difference. It was one of the things that Michael taught him when they were last together. He focused on the map and checked the files laid out even though he had his memory to fall back on. It was more of comfort thing and he was 'in the zone' as Michael once teased. He would find an answer.

~0~0~0~0~

"Hey!"

Reid reached out to grab the hand that was moving the label he had put down on the map. He grabbed the wrist and heard a chuckle followed by, "Relax, Spence. Just making a correction."

Reid turned to see Michael standing there looking like he was a college professor, wearing a blazer over the obvious Metallica t-shirt complete with jeans and boots good for hiking and chasing down bad guys. He was holding a laptop and some files under his arm and was giving that smirk that said he could give him more than he bargained for.

Releasing the wrist Reid automatically wrapped an arm around for a brotherly hug, "Good to see you, Mike."

"Likewise, Spence."

Reid released his friend and looked at him. "I honestly thought Sophie was kidding at first but…"

Michael nodded, "I told her that I would help her out since I had to figure out how to get you the information you were asking for without too many eyes seeing the cover." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I knew I was going to catch flak from you about not calling but… I have my reasons."

"Medical leave."

Michael shook his head and muttered, "Sophia."

Reid couldn't help but chuckle. Michael only said Sophia's full name when he was annoyed or teasing her but he never stayed cross for long. "She gave me fair warning since I… dug myself into a hole about keeping you a secret."

"Oh, so I'm the dirty little secret Spencer Reid keeps locked in the closet with all the other dirty math and science books he keeps." Michael grinned as he teased Reid, knowing that his friend was only doing what he thought was right and trying to help because of the nature of his job. "Well at least I'm out of the closet."

Reid pulled a face. "Stop that."

"I will when I am satisfied." Michael raised his brow suggestively, knowing that it would rile Reid every time. "And that will be when you find yourself a girl."

Rather than going on with the familiar banter, Reid changed the subject and partially because he noticed that Morgan and Emily were coming back from interviewing the wife, "So can you please put that back?"

Michael studied Reid for a moment and glanced over to where he saw what his friend was looking at. He moved his arm holding the label and flapped it slightly like he had a nervous tick before saying, "I would but it's wrong." He put it in the correct place. "Typo in the report."

Reid looked at the new location and saw that Michael was right. He nodded, "Alright."

"Native of Hyde Park," Michael replied with a chuckle. "Or you could have asked Sophie."

"But then where is the fun in that?" Reid gave a slight grin as he finished the joke. "So you brought everything?"

"What I can, Spence," Michael replied as he set his files and laptop down. His lip twitched from the dull throb in his back.

Reid noticed and said nothing. In fact, the moment was interrupted when Morgan and Emily walked in with Morgan asking, "Everything okay, Reid?"

Reid realized that Morgan saw Michael as a potential threat. Not in the physical way but more along the lines of being a nuisance. He must have seen more than he thought about their exchange. They wouldn't understand that it was just something that they did. He replied, "Yeah."

"Is this the consultant?" Emily pointed at Michael with a wide eyed expression. She recognized him from when he waltzed through the bull pen at the BAU. She started putting two and two together while getting her questions answered.

Reid started to stammer but Michael took the reins and offered a hand, "Yes. Michael. You must be Emily Prentiss and you're Derek Morgan." He offered his hand to Morgan after shaking Emily's hand.

"And how do you…?" Morgan eyed Michael with suspicion even though he took the proffered hand.

"Derek, he's the one that was waltzing around the BAU. He's Reid's friend," Emily pointed out.

Morgan eyed Michael. He did recognize him even though that was months ago. He just had trouble believing that he was Reid's friend. "You're a friend of Reid's?"

"Since Cal Tech," Michael replied as he put his hands on his hips more out of habit. His tone though had taken a similar one to Reid's when he told Emily. "Roommates."

The look on the two agent's faces was enough to have Reid and Michael laugh out loud but the situation was anything but that. Reid shuffled a bit on his feet before managing to say, "Mike has a Ph. D in engineering and degrees in mathematics, chemical engineering and…"

"Masters in International Relations and Cultural Anthropology along with a law degree from Harvard Law, and I am currently on leave from grunt work in the army," Michael finished. As an afterthought he said, "And I play piano and football."

Reid was used to the silence that occurred when he went off on his statistic rambles but this was becoming a little too much. Most people usually were gob smacked when Michael added that he liked music and football but seeing it on his colleagues' faces… It was like suddenly telling people that you were actually gay all along rather than straight. He added, hoping it would help, "He's actually good on piano. You should hear how he plays Moonlight Sonata."

At that moment Emily started laughing. She put her hand to her mouth trying not to make a scene but it was too much and it leaked through her hand. "Oh my God. You really weren't kidding were you, Reid?"

"Um…" Reid frowned a little at that, not sure how to react.

Michael though, being used to it, took over, "If Spence told you that, he's right." He gave a smile. "I can do all those things and I am in the army. Green Beret."

"Now that makes much more sense," Morgan finally said once he processed what he just heard.

"No. Just a grunt," Michael replied, holding up his hand. "I get down to nit and gritty. It's why Detective Langston asked me to come down. That and I can read Arabic, Farsi and a few other languages as well as speak them and Pashto."

Reid realized that Michael was using Sophia's married name and being professional about it. He wasn't sure how Hotchner would feel if he knew that Sophia and Michael were related. It was just like how he told but didn't tell when talking about Michael. He added, "I also called Mike about the writing left on the first victim's wall. I figured he might know something about our potential angle." He refrained from saying the word 'terrorist' since he didn't want to create panic.

At that moment, Sophia entered the room, "Ah I see you made yourself at home. Welcome, Mike." She extended her hand out to her brother.

Michael could have easily embarrassed her and hugged her but he kept up the professional look and shook her hand. "Thanks for having me, Sophia. I was just giving my credentials to Agents Morgan and Prentiss and having a spatial relations discussion with Dr. Reid."

Reid and Sophia knew it was gross exaggeration and lying but Michael was just trying to smooth the waters since he had picked up on Morgan's uneasiness and suspicion. Reid picked up his cue and added, "He was correcting a label. I believe there is a typo in the report."

"Well considering Mike is a resident of Hyde Park, he would know," Sophia replied giving Reid a slight wink with a twinkle in her eye. "So, I will leave you guys to work. Let me know if you need anything." She walked away and muttered more to herself, "Like a ticket number to punch him."

Michael turned to look at Morgan and Emily and studied them before offering, "Spence, described you to me when I last saw him."

"In DC right?" Emily stepped forward. "You were waiting for Reid."

"And Miss Penelope bumped into me and I offered to help." Michael shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal. "It was no problem, really."

"And then you waltzed through the bullpen," Morgan stated more than asked. He had crossed his arms over his chest to give the impression that he wasn't going to take any answer but the truth.

"I had time and I was curious about where Spence worked." Michael moved his laptop to set it up. He then added, "And you don't have to give me the stance. Any question you ask I'll answer within reason. I'm still active with my unit." He glanced over the edge of the laptop to give a reassuring look at Morgan.

"And what did you find?"

"Reality defies expectation."

Emily felt a smile threaten as she watched as Michael tapped the keys and arranged his paperwork in a meticulous fashion. "So you had an idea about us and what you saw didn't match up?" She decided on casual conversation until the rest of the team reported in. It gave time to get to know more about Reid's mysterious friend. Plus she would have something for Garcia.

"I guess I should have gone with reality surpasses expectation," Michael replied after thinking for a moment. "Spence described you accurately to me. I had enough to know but it never becomes clear until I see it in person. Then the whole thing just flows like a well-oiled machine."

"Well-oiled machine?" Emily raised her brow a fraction, not sure of what to make of that.

Reid answered, "Mike can see spatial relationships a lot differently down to how the way someone breathes can affect a decision being made."

"What Spence is trying to say is that I see people and things as intricate parts of a larger whole and I like examining how they all fit together and not often in what someone usually sees," Michael explained as he pulled up what he needed. "I have done work in micro analysis meaning I can take a group like your team and basically break you guys down on a mechanical level. Used to drive coaches crazy when I questioned plays."

"Not to mention that you won a couple of bets," Reid muttered under his breath.

"Those were strictly based on calculating and verifying the odds set by the sports book when you suggested I try my hand at the casinos. It was better than poker. That bored me." Michael chuckled at that as he caught Reid's expression. He added, "But most of the time I am my usual annoying self." He straightened up and asked, "So… ready to work?"

Reid looked at his friend. He knew that there were questions that were going to be asked and he was going to have to answer them but knowing Michael… A slow smile appeared and he nodded, "Well I have been working on a geographical profile and I know that you'll probably need crime scene photos…"

Morgan and Emily watched as the two friend tuned out the room and started to work. While it had been an interested and somewhat odd introduction, it was turning out to be an odder moment with two geniuses working together. Emily leaned in and asked in a whisper, "I thought he was a consultant?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Reid meets Sophia again and leaves the team with more answers and Mike meets Morgan and Emily officially. Stay tuned for more Heart-Blood Cement...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What was the wife able to tell you?" Hotchner looked at Emily and Morgan, trying to divert their attention away from the fact that Michael and Reid were working together and seemed to be operating in a world all of their own. He was rather surprised that the consultant was Michael but then again not surprised since Reid mentioned that he had called him. He just didn't expect to see the Green Beret that impressed the hell out of Gideon in that part of the country. Nor did he expect that Detective Sophia Langston was his sister.

Normally that would have been grounds to be wary and he should have protested once he learned the truth but he didn't. He knew Michael well enough from meetings in the past that the man was discreet and kept personal separated from work. And he knew that Michael was risking a bit just getting them information that was considered security. It was better to minimize the hands that touched it and the man had a unique perspective on things.

Emily and Morgan knew that they had to stay focused even though it was rather amusing and interesting to watch Reid and Michael work together. She was still baffled how the two of them ever became friends but they did understand each other on the level regarding genius. And she would have enjoyed watching them work but as it were they needed to debrief if they were going to catch this guy. She answered, "She was still a little woozy from the pain killers but she was able to describe her attacker."

"Enough for a sketch?" Hotchner raised his brow.

"No," Morgan replied in a low tone.

"But she did describe the unsub as a male, similar in height to her husband but he was wearing black," Emily added.

"And she couldn't see the face?"

"She said that she couldn't see. It felt oily and greasy and she thought she felt wool," Morgan pointed out. He held out the notes from the interview to Hotchner. "Hotch, the guy caught her from behind and tried to strangle her with a wire."

Hotchner looked at the notes and the photos of the injuries suffered to Mrs. Harrison. "And what about the witness, the girl that found the wife?"

"Girl never saw the attacker but the police report said that there was definite struggle in the living room but nothing else was disturbed," Emily replied with a slight shrug, not liking it any more than Hotchner. "From what the police gathered, the wife was hit first and then the unsub waited for the victim."

"Sounds like a standard seizure op."

Hotchner looked up to see Michael walking up to him and holding out some sheets of paper. "Meaning?"

"Just making a comparison," Michael replied. He straightened up and took a breath and said, "Well you guys can rest assured that you don't have to worry about terrorists here stateside."

"You're sure?" Hotchner wasn't doubting Michael having seen him work before. He just wanted to be sure before he briefed the section chief that there was no reason to up the alert.

"Positive," Michael replied. He tapped on the sheet of paper, "Simply because not all the writings left are consistent with the group that was suspected." He walked over to the whiteboard and picked up a dry erase marker and started writing on the board.

Hotchner, Morgan and Emily watched as Michael started writing in script on the board. At that moment Rossi walked in saying, "I spoke to the coroner about the previous three victims." He paused when he spotted Michael and frowned slightly. "Who is that?"

Morgan gestured at Michael, "That is Detective Langston's consultant. Reid's friend."

"Kid had a friend?"

"Roommates from Cal Tech," Michael said as he finished writing what he was writing on the board.

Hotchner tried to keep the smile in check as he gestured at Michael, "David Rossi, meet Michael Nassar."

Rossi looked at Michael as he turned to greet him with a slight wave before turning back towards the board. "Didn't we see…?"

"He has clearance," Hotchner replied in a low tone. He then whispered, "He's helped us on occasion through Gideon. Reid doesn't know."

It made sense to some degree but Rossi was still surprised. He remembered seeing him at the BAU some months back. The office had been buzzing about the tall guy that just strolled through the bullpen and then waltzed out like he belonged. From first appearances, Rossi thought he looked like a college professor that the kids thought was cool given that he was wearing a logo t-shirt and over that a blazer. In response to Hotchner's explanation, he replied, "Huh. Well… the coroner… What is he doing?"

At that moment, Michael was marking on Reid's map and making notations on it. Reid was merely standing and watching and occasionally nodding. Hotchner looked and said, "My guess is making sense of Reid's geographical profile."

Rossi shook his head and glanced over at Morgan and Emily who were also watching what was going on. He continued on his report, "The coroner said that all three victims suffered immense torture. There were hints of electrical burns, signs of attempted drownings, broken bones, lacerations… Until finally they were killed with a single slice of wire nearly severing the heads."

"So we're looking at someone who hates military," Morgan pointed out, once he was distracted from the musings of Reid and Michael. "We suspected this already."

"But this… we're looking at…" Rossi shook his head trying to make sense.

"Maybe we should check out the other crime scenes," Morgan pointed out.

Hotchner nodded in agreement, "I agree. David… take Michael and go the most recent dumpsite. Morgan, Emily, take the other two." At the look he was getting he explained, "He's a resident of Hyde Park. He can offer a unique perspective." He gave Rossi a look.

Rossi nodded in understanding and looked at the two looking at the board. He took a breath and walked over and tapped Michael on the shoulder. When he had the younger man's attention he said, "Come on. I need your perspective on something."

Michael studied Rossi for a moment and agreed to it. He put down his pen and made to follow after shutting his laptop. Rossi wasn't sure what Hotchner was getting at with this but it was to provide a point. More likely it was to use his help since he was in a consultant position. He had to admit that he was curious about him and it certainly explained the change in Reid's behavior.

Hotchner watched as Rossi and Michael left the room after Morgan and Emily left. At that moment Sophia walked in and he watched her study the scene. He was expecting her reaction but he was surprised at the manner she approached and asked in a calm but it held a dangerous note tone of voice, "What do you think you're doing, Agent Hotchner?"

"Trying to gain some perspective, Detective Langston," Hotchner replied while taking in the fact that Sophia was looking at him like he had gone out of his mind. In a lower tone, he added, "I know he's your brother. Reid…"

"I know Spencer reached out to him but that was all this was to involve. Information on potential terrorist threats," Sophia replied in an equally low tone. "What are you doing involving him more?"

"You and I both know that Mike has a unique perspective and focus. And I suspect he may be able to tell us more for when we deliver the profile."

Sophia looked at Hotchner. She knew that she was ratted out as Michael's sister but from the look of things, the FBI agent wasn't going to hold it against her. The fact that he was assuming she knew about Michael's way of thinking told her that he was asking her to not get too excited over this. She replied, "I do know that but your team member called him and he agreed to help him with what he requested."

Hotchner looked at the detective. He sensed that there was more to it than what she was telling. "And he is here as a consultant."

"On the military side. He's not an agent, Agent Hotchner."

"No, but he has consulted on a few cases with the BAU previously."

Sophia felt her eyes widened. This was one of those moments where she wished her brother was in the room. Then she would embarrass him by taking him out and giving him a good slugging he deserved. It explained why he would call and say that he wasn't coming home on his leaves though she knew there was more to that.

Hotchner watched her reaction and realized that Michael hadn't said anything. It would make things difficult but… "I see he hasn't told you."

"No."

"Detective Langston… Sophie," Hotchner paused when he used her given name. "I think you know that there is more to this case and there is an angle that while we have some access, it doesn't get us very far. Mike can go the rest of the way and he knows how to explain without giving too much away. I think…"

"I understand," Sophia interrupted. She looked at Hotchner and continued, "I understand that position. Understand mine: I admit that he is my brother but you should know that he has the penchant of digging himself into a hole and doesn't always see that he does."

"Only for perspective," Hotchner assured. "No other field work."

It was hardly reassuring but Sophia was able to nod, "Alright. I feel bad for your man Rossi though."

~0~0~0~0~

Richard heard a squeak or a creak and his body started to come to wakefulness. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He knew he passed out after the last round of shock therapy. His limbs were still tingly from the electrode that had been applied to his skin. He was lucky that he was alive but then again it wasn't the volts that got you. It was the amps.

He was sweating and he shivered. It wasn't cold down there but he felt cold. In between the shocks and the beatings, he had been doused in ice cold water bath multiple times. His core body temperature must have dropped or something. He sniveled slightly since his nose was runny. He glanced down at his hands and noticed the intermittent shaking. Staring at them caused the sharp cold to run down his spine.

The room was warm and humid. Like all the heat, the enclosed space, which looked like a basement, was in there and then adding the sweat and water moisture… it was like a sauna. He took a couple of gulps but his throat was dry. And he was in the dark. The only light was from the window that was way too small to crawl through. It's what gave him the idea that he was in a basement. He looked around, blinking blearily since his limbs were just lumps of flesh.

Soundwise, there was nothing but the occasional thump from above. Another indicator that he was in a basement. So it could be that he wasn't far from his home. And most homes within the Hyde Park area would have some sort of basement or even a shed. They were historic and bungalow homes. All around nice neighborhoods. He and Kitty were planning on raising their family there. Now he wasn't sure since he wasn't even sure that she was okay. He saw her on the ground bleeding from a wound in her head and she was unconscious when he was hit from behind.

Rotating his shoulders, Richard winced slightly. His wrists were still bound tightly to the arms of his chair. They were red from the strain from the shock attacks. His fingers twitched as he looked at them. It was like something else was controlling his limbs. He took a couple of breaths and looked around. He wasn't sure about getting free but if he did manage to get out of here, he would be able to tell them something.

The trouble was that it was dark. There was nothing for him to see to give him any idea where he was. He shifted and listened to the creaking in the chair. It caused him to pause. He shifted again and listened to the creaking sound. He listened. Something was loose and maybe he could use that to his advantage. That still left the problem of getting free meaning out of this room and finding help. For now though he just had to concentrate on getting out of that chair.

Sighing, Richard looked up in the ceiling. The light was off so there wasn't a worry of searing his eyes but the darkness hardly helped. It was a reminder of being in Afghan, the dark nights. In some instances, even with base lighting it was almost pitch black outside. For the most part though, he was always on comms for the team when they went out. He was hardly ever in the field if necessary but he did have his training.

Focusing he shifted to listen to the creaking. It was the usual creaking. That wasn't going to work. He made a face and looked down at his wrists. That seemed to be his only option. It was going to take time and be painful but… anything to do to get free. He wrapped his fingers under the edge of the armrests and started pulling upwards.

It was difficult to get the leverage needed to yank it completely off. His legs were tied to the legs of the chair but that wouldn't be a problem. Not now at least. He yanked as best as he could on the armrests but jiggling them. He felt the bindings cut into his wrists and grimaced at the pain but he pushed that aside. He kept pulling and jiggling. After about a few minutes he stopped almost groaning in frustration. It was like the armrests were welded on. He tried again after resting a few minutes.

It was a repetitive pattern of tug and rest. Richard kept trying to loosen both armrests. He could feel the slickness of his wrists against his bindings. He couldn't tell how long it was before he felt the slight give at the armrests. It wasn't much but it was enough to give hope that he may eventually be able to get himself free. It was a start. He gave a dry chuckle of relief that he could jiggle it without pulling so hard. He still had work to do though if he was going to get out of there. He took a breath to prepare for the long haul in terms of sitting there.

He was prepared to go at it again when all of a sudden he was bombarded with loud metal music. It was like being at a rock concert and he was too close to the speakers. He closed his eyes but he couldn't put his hands to his ears to block it out. It felt like his eardrums were going to blow since the pounding hurt his head. He was forced back into the one time that he was actually on an op with his team.

 _The explosion was quick and seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was an IED set up to ambush them. Richard tensed automatically as he gripped his weapon. The lead vehicle was obliterated from the IED. Their way was blocked. They had to take cover and maneuver to get out._

 _The gunfire was rapid and loud. Richard though had to relay their coordinates. He held his weapon and looked out at the landscape while trying to get help. It filled his ears and pounded in his head. He watched as his friend took a round and went down. He turned just as he saw an insurgent pointing an RPG at them._

Richard shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. He wished he had a wall to bang his head against. It was one of the reasons why he decided to walk away completely after his service was up. Now he was being tormented by the stuff that youngsters thought was hip. He almost wanted to laugh at his reference for the kids. He was getting old but he was still considered pretty young and in shape. At the moment though, the music was getting on his nerves.

The music continued to pound, causing a pounding sensation in his temples. Richard moaned as he threw his head back and looked at the darkened ceiling. Even though the music was pounding in his head, he knew that he had to focus on the task that he had set himself to. Sighing he looked at his wrists even though he couldn't see them. Wrapping his fingers around the edges of the armrests, he started pulling and tugging to continue his campaign of getting them loose.

It was like being back in Afghanistan working with all the noise like when they were ambushed. The upside was that he didn't have to worry about bullets or RPGs flying at him from insurgents and Taliban. He could focus on getting his arms free. It would still be a struggle but as it seemed, he had all time in the world. Well, at least until his captor decided that he was going to come in and have another session. He would just work until the next round.

The next round came sooner than later. He had managed to loosen the armrests more when the loud music shut off. The silence was so deafening he was still hearing the pounding beats in his ears. It felt like they were ringing and he was exhausted. He stopped what he was doing so he wouldn't be caught by his captor. He looked in the direction of the door the moment that he heard the striker start to click and move. He knew that he couldn't be too still or his captor would know that something was going on. He swallowed feeling the sudden thirst.

The light came on overhead. Richard blinked from the sudden invasion of light. He gritted his teeth and looked downward. It allowed him to see the state that his wrists were in. They looked nasty from all his struggling to get the handles out but that would mean nothing if he couldn't get out of this situation. In any case, they were in consequential. He took in a couple of breaths but didn't look up to avoid any possibility that he would get struck for looking at his captor.

Richard said nothing but listened as his captor circled around his chair. He continued to look at the ground and let his eyes wander to try and see if he could see more into the room. His captor had closed the door so he couldn't see beyond the door. It seemed the point was to keep him isolated enough so he had no idea where he was at. Did that mean that he was going to be released? It was highly unlikely but he figured that as long as he didn't look at his captor's face, he wasn't going to die.

"Tell me what I want to know," the voice rasped.

Richard frowned but didn't look at anything other than straight down. It was mostly to prevent from being struck unnecessarily but there was no guarantee of that. He did venture, "I don't know what you want to know.

The smack to the back of the head was to be expected. Richard went with the force of the blow since resistance could have been more painful. He didn't say anything since he figured that there was a certain set of roles to be played and if he did it, it might go over better and maybe get him free. He coughed a little from the impact and spat out spit. It was a little bloody meaning he still had a cut in his mouth.

"You know everything. Tell me what it is!"

"What do you want to know?"

Another punch came across his face. Richard felt his cheek split. He shouted, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Another punch came followed by, "Tell me!"

"I don't know what you are talking about!"

The next couple of blows ended up almost knocking him over. Richard felt the chair totter precariously to the point that his feet were pressing on the floor. He couldn't get support since his legs were tied to the legs of the chair. He would have fallen over completely if his captor hadn't grabbed the back of the chair and pulled back to right it but it wasn't gentle. The chair rocked as it righted itself. It felt like his teeth were rattling.

Richard took a couple of breaths since the rush of adrenaline had him want to pant but that would make him hyperventilate. He twisted his lower jaw to ease the pain that was in face from the punches. He twisted his arms and clenched his hands in fists as best as he could. It wouldn't help trying to loosen the bindings on his wrists but it helped to temper the fact that he was getting pissed off at this guy. He didn't know him. He didn't recognize him. So what the hell did he want with him?

His captor started moving around and muttering. Richard lifted his head and started to listen. He couldn't hear much but it seemed like he might have agitated his captor. He could hear growling and that didn't sound good in his book. He tried to be nice about it and relate to the guy, "Look, I really don't know what you are looking for… but if you tell me… I can help you."

There was a slight pause. Richard tensed slightly, thinking that a blow was going to come. When it didn't, he continued, "If you will tell me what you are looking for… I can help you."

The silence wasn't reassuring. It was more reassuring when Richard caught a blow across the face. The force was hard enough to rock the chair again. Richard had turned his head to go with the force of the blow but the reaction merely helped carry the chair in the same direction. He fell back and landed hard on the ground. It jarred his teeth when the back of the chair hit the ground and it sent a dull pain up his spine.

Richard found himself looking up at the bright light and the shadow of his captor looming over him. He felt his breath freeze in his throat as he could only stare up. The two other directions were to the right and left but either would probably result in a kick to the face but that wouldn't stop the guy from doing that face up. He looked up at his captor looking down at him. The way he was looking at him looked like he was going to end his life.

Suddenly his captor bent downward and Richard held his breath as his captor's arms reached towards him, grabbed the back of the chair and righted him up. The movement caused some confusion for Richard. He blinked until it dawned on him that his captor wasn't going to kill him, if he was, not yet. That was a small comfort but it didn't change that he was still a prisoner.

"We're going to try this again," the captor's raspy voice said. "You are going to tell me what I want to know."

Richard was going to say something when a hand clamped hard on his shoulder and something entered the opposite shoulder. He felt the pressure until something pierced the skin and dug into his shoulder. He gritted his teeth to muffle the pain that was entering his shoulder. All he could concentrate on was that white hot stabbing pain in his shoulder.

Then the raspy voice came and it was low and in Richard's ear, "You are going to tell me everything about your supply operations."

Richard gritted his teeth from the pain. Whatever it was still was in his shoulder but he couldn't turn to look at it. His captor was on the side where he was stabbed. He decided to answer the question, "What supply operations?"

The next thing he knew was the twist of whatever it was in his shoulder. Richard grunted and cried out since it hurt like hell. He couldn't do much more since his captor said, "Tell me about your supply operations."

Richard panted, hissing through his teeth, trying to breathe through the pain. His captor was waiting for an answer. He looked straight ahead into the darkness. It was clear to him that no matter what he said or didn't say… he was going to get pain.

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Mike more or less meets the team and Hotch is getting him involved much to Sophie's displeasure. And the unsub is getting busy. Stay tuned for more Heart-Blood Cement...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

David Rossi was one of the original FBI agents that started and ran the BAU until he retired to take up book writing. He then decided to come back and since then, he remembered what it was like and remembered why he did this job. He had seen strange things and continued to see them. It could be considered a perk of the job especially when it concerned the possibility of finding out how the consultant in front of him got to be a friend of the youngest member of the team, Spencer Reid.

They were at the most recent dumpsite. The body had long been cleared away and any evidence the local PD needed had been collected and taken in. All that remained was the surrounding area and that was what Reid's friend Michael was looking at. Rossi adjusted his stance as he watched the man that Hotchner had asked him to bring along. He took the time to observe him a little and try to figure out what it was about him that had Reid so animated.

"You can tell Hotch that I'm not crazy."

Rossi blinked when he realized that Michael had spoken to him. "What?"

"I know Hotch wants me to give perspective but he really needs to rethink how to get by Sophia," Michael replied as he kneeled and then straightened to look around from his position. "And I'm in enough trouble."

"Thought guys like you liked trouble."

"Only when it's the kind I know I can dig myself out of." Michael turned his gaze down to the ground and surveyed the land. He rested his forearm on his knee, aware that this position was going to kill his lower back. He then looked at Rossi, "But seriously, I'm not crazy." He then thought about it and then added with a grin, "But then again I am extremely enthusiastic when it comes to puzzles."

"Puzzles?"

"It's how I see everything." Michael turned back to his surveying before standing up. He then pointed in several directions. "Now the other dumpsites are in those directions, so technically Spence would have a geographical profile that suggests this is comfort zone of your guy. But there is one thing that is bothering me."

"What is that?" Rossi had raised his brow when Michael became serious. It was almost like watching his colleagues give a profile.

"It's not so much a comfort zone." Michael started pacing, stopping at various points and making gestures.

Rossi watched wondering if the whole thing about Michael being crazy was meant to hide the fact that what he was doing could be considered strange. He frowned when he heard Michael start muttering numbers in some sort of mathematical equation. That was followed Michael seeming to draw in the air. As much as he wanted to know what Michael was coming up with, Rossi sensed that it was better to be quiet since it would eventually come out.

Finally Michael said, "Kandahar."

Rossi looked at Michael and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Michael began to gesture a bit too excited but it was to hide the nagging agitation and the probable suspicion he had. Something was awfully familiar and while he wasn't definitive, he could give the team what they needed to get a head start. If he was right… He answered Rossi's question, "I knew there was something up about the distances involved and the locations themselves. I really need to thank Sophia for having her guys write details."

"You read the reports?"

"Didn't take long."

Rossi remembered Michael was reading the case files in the car. He frowned, "That was a fifteen minute drive tops."

Michael nodded and raised his brow, wondering what was wrong with that. "Yeah. It's not as fast as Spence but I get some serious reading done." He looked at Rossi and asked, "Are you okay?"

Rossi realized that he had been staring at Michael. He replied, "Yeah."

Michael raised his brow at Rossi to indicate that he didn't quite believe that. He gave a slight grin and said, "You don't have to hide it. I know I'm an oddity."

"Actually, I was wondering if you were Reid's long lost twin," Rossi countered once he realized that the man in front of him was not reacting like Reid would and was quick to pick up on things. "Sort of like…"

"The half that is missing?"

"Something like that."

Michael gave a slight smile at that and hummed a chuckle, "Don't I wish." He cleared his throat and added, "Actually, I am what he has said about me: the smart jock. One that currently is being a hardworking grunt in the Army."

"Intelligence?"

"No."

Rossi frowned at that. To him that didn't sound right. The man was obviously a genius like Reid and he was doing grunt work. It was an oddity that made the comment about craziness sound justified. "Really?"

Michael had gone back to checking his work and writing his numbers invisibly, muttering to himself when Rossi asked the question. He paused and looked at the man. "Really." At the look he was getting, he explained, "You don't have to work a cushy desk job just because you have the intelligence. You can get your worth out of it by doing things that are as mundane as a patrol. I prefer acting upon what I figure out and have little patience for the politics."

"No doubt you'd just bore them with facts that are stray tangents," Rossi commented.

"Maybe," Michael grinned as he advanced towards Rossi. "I think you may have enough to help Sophie catch her guy. Luckily for you guys it has nothing to do with terrorism."

Rossi took in the expression Michael was giving him. Despite seeing the interesting display of calculations and seeing things, he could see some value and came to the conclusion that he was not so bad. He nodded, "Okay. Let's head back to the station. You may have to help with giving the profile. Deciphering the numbers or whatever you have in that head of yours."

"Spence can do the same."

"Yeah about that." Rossi paused as he got into the driver's side of the vehicle they took to get there. He watched as Michael took a couple of pictures on his phone and shook his head. Once Michael was inside the passenger seat he continued, "You actually know him?"

Michael grinned at that. Despite his introduction to the team, he could tell that they still were baffled that he was Reid's friend. That they could actually converse and understand each other like they hadn't been separated for months. It was something that just developed out of Cal Tech and stayed with them. Usually, a greeting in a letter started with a mathematical, philosophical or some sort of intellectual question before getting down to business. It drove his team bonkers when he video chatted with Reid and spoke like that.

Seeing it for what it was and deciding to explain in order to save Reid from endless questions, Michael replied, "Yeah. We met at Cal Tech. He was my roommate."

"An adult and a…"

"We are actually the same age. I'm older by a couple of weeks," Michael explained and waited until Rossi caught up with the fact that two twelve year old geniuses went to school together. "They paired us together since we were the same age and thought we wouldn't get into trouble."

"Did you?"

Michael gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, "Depends on who you ask." He grinned and chuckled before continuing, "But we did get along. Better than most roommates."

Rossi glanced over at Michael who was taking an interest in the scenery. His lips were muttering silently like he was in the middle of a musing or calculation. He tried to think of something since it was like one of those weird coincidences or chance of fate or whatever you called it that put the man next to him and Reid together. "How come Reid's never talked about you before?"

"Spence is a private guy," Michael replied as he glanced at Rossi. "I'm in a war zone most of the year and he gets to know where but he can't share. He takes promises seriously."

That made sense to Rossi. "But you came down to the BAU a few months back."

"I was in town and dropped by to say hi."

"But you told people that you were a consultant or a new hire."

Michael chuckled at that, "I said I was there for someone. They filled in the rest. And the only reason I was able to walk through your offices like I knew where to go was because Spence gave me a verbal layout of the room. He described you to me and I was able to know who was what like I bumped into Miss Penelope, almost upsetting her stack and was sort of interrogated by Emily Prentiss. Hotchner pretended not to know me when he walked in with you." He gave a slight shrug like it was no big deal. "Of course Hotch knew me a while back when Gideon was with the Bureau."

Rossi raised his brow as he listened to Michael. Sure he was rambling a bit like Reid but he was fascinating in what he was telling him. "So you can put together a map based on description and navigate even though you've never been in the area before?"

"More or less. Depends on how well a person can describe it to me." Michael cleared his throat slightly. "As I said, I see things differently. As something is described to me it forms in front of my eyes, like its right there even though there is nothing. It then becomes engrained in memory and…"He made a meaningless gesture. "Never mind when I visualize relationships with human groups."

"I'll bet it has every staring."

"Worse. Spence understands me."

Both shared a laugh as Rossi turned the vehicle into the parking lot of the station. Michael got out on his side, holding his laptop. It was more of habit when he had it with him. He took it everywhere with him. He adjusted it and started walking towards the back of the SUV to head into the station when he saw a few cops gathered outside like they were on break. He paused when one in plain clothes spotted him and stared at him.

Michael blinked slowly and stared back. The cop staring at him was looking at him like he wanted to beat him up. If anything, a fight could have broken out then and there. As it were, Rossi joined him and prevented anything from going down. Michael repressed the sigh that threatened. There were just some things that you really couldn't resolve in the world. He only hoped that he could give his sister what they needed and go home.

~0~0~0~0~

Reid finished his geographical profile and studied the notes his friend made. He couldn't help but grin at the fact that he still wrote his notes like a mathematical formula or in Arabic script and sometimes a combination of both. He remembered the first time he tried to read them and ended up wondering if his friend really was crazy or paranoid. It ended up being more of a brain stimulation and because Michael told him his family was from the Middle East.

Reid could read the notes easily enough and was amazed how they were able to narrow the comfort zone of the unsub down. It still put it within Hyde Park but at least they had an idea of where to start looking. Then added what they knew of the unsub from his behavior and what Michael probably stunned Rossi on… they would be able to catch the unsub and possibly rescue the latest victim. That was a win and Reid entertained the possibility of staying behind a night to catch up with his best friend as a way of apology for dragging him into this.

The sound of the door opening told Reid that the teams were returning. Morgan and Emily were the first to get back and they reported that like the other dumpsites they were in areas that were poor, almost like dumps or empty fields. They reported that the unsub had to know the area if they were able to get around without being seen since the local PD hadn't found any witnesses.

Hotchner had arrived then and was filled in by the time Rossi and Michael came back. Hotchner asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Only that the unsub is more likely a local," Rossi replied.

"He's a resident," Michael added matter of fact and leaving no room for doubt. He cleared his throat and added, "And you don't have to worry about raising threat levels. This is a local."

Hotchner stared at Michael with a slightly raised brow. He glanced at Rossi who gave a slight look and asked, "Are you confident in that?"

"You'll find him within the area marked by the three dumpsites," Michael replied as he walked towards Reid's maps. He gestured within the area, "There are plenty of public places within walking distance to keep supplied. Most residents are always talking to each other and wouldn't think twice about their neighbors. Even the little strange ones. People want a nice and quiet neighborhood. Hyde Park is the place." He looked at the team and gave a shrug.

It almost became awkward but Morgan picked up the pace and added, "And Garcia checked the victims looking for a connection. The only thing that she could find was that they all were in the same branch of the military and that they all served their time in Afghanistan. None were ever in the same unit, nothing."

"Maybe this guy hates the military," Rossi pointed out while trying to hide a faint disgust he had for the unsub and his possible reasoning for selecting his victims.

Michael listened to the team discuss while he glanced at the map Reid had made. He stared at the points and thought back to the site he visited with Rossi. It was then a memory decided to come back and one he dreaded. He glanced at the photos of the three dead victims and the one that was still alive. He took a breath and stared.

He could heard the shouts from them. Even though he knew the language, it sounded like gibberish and it was made worse when they waved their weapons at them, threatening to shoot if they didn't do what they said. The rifle was pointed at his face and he remembered those dark eyes full of hatred as they shoved him towards the…

 _Mike?_

They were driving down through the desert roads. He could smell human body odor, sweat, and blood. He could hear moans of pain. His body was in pain as the unkempt roads jarred it, aggravating what was already done to him. He had to hold out…

 _Mike._

"Mike?"

Michael blinked and turned to look at Reid who was trying to get his attention. He noticed that the rest of the team was looking at him. He noticed Hotchner's look and the urge to be defensive crept up but he held it back under the mask of impassiveness as he said, "Sorry. Was thinking."

Hotchner looked at Michael, not entirely convinced. Like Reid, he had cause and reason to be concerned at the lack of communication lately. He had his suspicions but wasn't going to press. Like Reid, he had his secrets too. He said, "We're going to give the profile." He gave a look that meant Michael was to be there.

Normally, Michael would have been amused at the fact that Hotchner was trying to order him around. In the normal world, he was a civilian and should be following the orders of law enforcement. However, in his line of work, he gave orders too and often did what he had to do within rules and regulations. It was why his CO kept him around and occasionally had him take part in the required to not required trainings to keep the brass happy. This time though, he didn't feel amused.

The moment he had been asked to accompany Rossi on his field trip, Michael had been filled with apprehension. While his sister, as a detective, wasn't supposed to really involve or disclose details of an ongoing criminal investigation, she was human like anyone else. Plus, if she was stuck, she knew she could ask him for help and she gave it as hypotheticals. This though… he read her casefiles while she wasn't looking to give her plausible deniability and the details had him almost in a panic. There were details that hit close to home and he could see why Reid would call him in the first place though he had to raise a brow at Hotchner's lack of a call.

The crimes themselves were eerie and brought back bad memories that he wanted to forget but was trying to work through them. It gave him a few ideas of what was going on. When Sophia asked him to be a consultant, he had been hesitant but it would give him an opportunity to see his friend and reassure the team that they had nothing to worry about in terms of terrorism. The fact that he had an idea what was going on… he was well aware that it wouldn't look to good on his end. In the end, his desire to see Reid in person outweighed his apprehensions and now he was here.

Secrets were killers no matter what. From the little white lie to the bold face deceptions… they were brutal and had been known to kill trust that had been there for years. It was one aspect of the job that Michael hated and drove him to constantly ask Reid if he was okay with the clearances and access he had and not being able to tell. It was hard enough making and keeping friends when you were considered normal. It was even harder when you were classified as a genius and had a propensity to miss social cues and people thought you were a freak for being thirteen and in a room full of eighteen to twenty year olds.

Michael was lucky in that his sister schooled him as best as she could but he still was awkward. With Reid, he felt the need to teach him and protect him. It had been agonizing over the decision to list people he wanted read in on his activities. Sophia understood why he picked Reid and not her and was always quick to tease him when the conversation came close to that. This time though…

As he followed them to the room to present the profile, he gave one last backwards glance at the map. He had a few ideas and decided to explore them when he left the station. For right now, he was going to keep his suspicions to himself and try to help Reid and his team with their investigation as much as he could and pray that if it did blow up in his face, and it probably would meaning statistically it would, that it would right itself in the end. He took his place standing next to Reid, waiting and listening while glancing at the room of officers and detectives and caught sight of the one that tried challenging him earlier there. Suddenly he got the sense that it was going to blow up much faster than that.

"You are looking for a male between the ages of 25 to 35. Highly organized and efficient," Hotchner began. "He operates alone and more likely is employed in an occupation that allows him to spend hours alone."

"He goes to his victim's homes at night, subdues them and takes them out without creating a major disturbance. This suggests that he is very familiar with the area," Emily pointed out.

"Where does he take them?"

Reid answered that question, "The unsub would have a central point to focus from but generally he wouldn't abduct too close or too far. It would be a place that he would feel comfortable and in control of. It may not even be a house. So focus on the area within the proximity of the dumpsites. Residences, businesses that would enable him to focus on the victim."

"He's a resident of the neighborhood," Michael murmured almost too softly to be heard. "More likely he has lived there his whole life. He knows the ins and outs of the neighborhood so he can slip by without being seen."

"That would be most of the people living there," another officer pointed out.

"This unsub," Morgan picked up, "Would have a military background of some sort. The precision in which he obtains his victims suggests that he was once part of an extraction team."

"You should look into men who may have a grudge against the military," Rossi continued. "The unsub may bear a grudge. Perhaps he was dishonorably discharged or he feels like he didn't receive the recognition he thinks he deserves. The level of torture is the unleashed anger at the institution that slighted him."

Michael listened to the rest of the profile being given by the team as he leaned against the table he had taken refuge against. He listened and watched the reactions of the officers. It was a difficult thing to swallow that possibly a neighbor could be the one doing horrible things. Most people couldn't contemplate it. Hell, most people here stateside though all terrorists came from the Middle East and wore black turbans. Reality was a lot different.

What was harder to contemplate was that he had a vague idea of who was behind this and he wasn't saying anything about it. Part of it was because he could guess at the reason why and if he was right, he would do what he could to keep others from getting hurt and most importantly catch the one responsible alive. The problem was that he was in a room full of profilers and his best friend was one of them. They detected what people couldn't see for a living. And he learned how they did it.

"Thank you. Good luck."

Michael adjusted his seat on the edge of the table as he watched the officers file out. He saw the one who challenged him give him a murderous look. This was definitely going to be harder than he thought. What he did know was that he was going to need to make a phone call and he prayed that there wouldn't be anyone running roughshod and snaking the case out from those working it. That wouldn't be good and it meant that he was going to have to be smooth with his words. This was definitely not going to be the leave he was anticipating.

"You know something."

Michael blinked before turning to see Emily looking at him with a discerning look. He rather liked the agent in that she could be compassionate but she wouldn't brook bullshit. He gave a slight shrug, "Got the profile. What more do you want from me?"

Emily looked at Michael with a raised brow and her eyes narrowed slightly. She sensed that there was more to it by his lack of contribution. She had observed him watching the officers but he also appeared in thought. She took into account Reid's description that he saw the world differently when he was thinking things through but something nagged at her. "Just why you didn't go more into it. Hotch wanted you here for a reason."

Michael shrugged his shoulders, "It was what I could contribute and with the best chance of it getting accepted. Most people in the neighborhood don't want to believe their neighbors capable of doing this. It's consistent with pretty much everywhere. I said it from the viewpoint of a local that was not judging but stating that it was a very real possibility. I mean a vast majority of crimes are committed by someone the victim knows or has had interaction with them in some form. It may not be direct but it is there. Six degrees of separation pretty much."

Emily stared at Michael as he rambled a bit. It was very much like Reid except there was a somber tone to it. She probed, "So you have an idea."

"Just that maybe it might not be straightforward with your profile," Michael replied as he straightened up. He picked up the laptop that was never out of his sight if he had to bring it with him. "Sometimes you have to keep digging."

Emily watched as the man left the room to head out. She chewed her lower lip as she thought about something for a moment before she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. She waited until the other end picked up and said, "Garcia, can you do a background check for me? Keep it between us. I need you to check out a Michael Nassar."

* * *

 **A/N:** Rossi and Mike spend time together and it looks like everybody has secrets including Hotch. Now they got a profile but something tells us that it may be a little more complicated. Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The hardest part about catching a criminal, particularly a serial killer is the wait. In order to get more information on him, you had to wait for another body. The bad part about that was that there was another body meaning another life lost. It was one of the things that Sophia didn't like about the job. As a lead homicide detective, she had seen a lot and solved her fair share of cases. All that and she still managed to be wife and mother to her family. Her husband managed the same serving with the fire department and both managed to lead a good, Christian life.

Her faith was no secret to anyone in the department since she wore her mother's crucifix ever since she gave it to her before she died. Besides it helped in her ability to solve cases and most people in the department came to see her as more of a mother over the junior detectives and someone who could guide in the right direction. One could also say that it gave her a sixth sense when it came to people that were curious and suspicious, especially if that suspicion pointed in the direction of her brother and by extension Reid.

She had been a bit harsh with the lead agent Hotchner about involving her brother because he should be resting and not working. Not that it really made a difference in her family. She also didn't want it to turn into a sideshow because of her brother's intelligence and what happened when you happened to put two geniuses in the same room. It was illogical but she had spent nearly her entirely life protecting her brother and teaching him how to defend himself. He still was clueless about some things and a cause for worry but for the most part he was good about it even if he projected those same instincts onto Reid.

Sophia studied the case files. She knew she had the profile the FBI gave her and sent the junior detectives and beat cops out there but there was a method to her madness. She preferred to peruse the casefiles over and over again, memorizing details and comparing with the notes she had from witness accounts and what the FBI found out.

"Good reading?"

Sophia looked up to see Rossi studying her and replied with a polite smile, "Just habit. I reread the case along with the notes. Sometimes for hours on end. Helps me think."

Rossi was aware that she was suspicious of his motives. He kept the conversation strictly on the case, "I heard about you from some of your men."

"And they probably told you that I am a crazy religious person," Sophia replied since she had heard it all pretty much. "I just have a method to my madness."

"No doubt with a brother like Mike."

Sophia glanced at Rossi with a raised brow. Seeing nothing she could react to she gave a smirk and replied, "You have no idea. I am grateful that your team is here to help. While homicide is something that happens, this…" She gave a shrug and went back to perusing her notes. "I'm hoping your profile will help."

"The goal is to narrow down your pool of suspects," Rossi offered.

"It's just hard for people to think that their neighbors might not be who they thought they were," Sophia replied with a slight smile. She leaned on her desk and folded her hands. "Not everything is as it appears unless you really know them."

Rossi nodded in agreement though he got the sense that Sophia was trying to tell him something more. He figured she was trying to say to apply it to her brother and that was understandable. He had been gob smacked when he observed the man and then watching him and Reid work side by side… There was room for reserving judgment.

"If you need escort to your rooms, I'll show you. It's easy to get lost," Sophia offered looking up at Rossi. "It's fairly close. Well most everything is within walking distance no matter where you go within the neighborhood."

"I'm starting to figure that out and got that impression when Mike said that the unsub is a local."

"Most locals or natives," Sophia said with a wry smile, "Would know certain nooks and crannies. Growing up, it was Mike's fascination. You could say that he created a mental roadmap by the time he was six and when he came home, he would update it. It's often better than the tourist maps. He would say it's not on par with Spencer's reading ability."

"Yeah," Rossi replied, seeing that she was giving him an opportunity to ask questions to know more about her brother despite the fact that the youngest member of the team knew him. He was aware that she was in control with the answers she chose to give. "He read the casefile reports, all three victims within fifteen minutes. The drive from here to the latest dumpsite." He looked at Sophia who was tidying up her work.

"He can read fast but he is right. Spencer is faster."

"Reid said they met in college?"

"Roomed together," Sophia confirmed, "Admins thought it best since they are the same age."

"So he was twelve when he graduated high school?"

"With highest honors but would not accept position of valedictorian. Chose Caltech because he loves building things. Anything mechanical he could get his hands on." Sophia couldn't help but smile. She knew that when she described her brother, it was always disbelief and it was funny because their teammate Reid was similar and yet it was still like it was a shock to them. "Mike and Spencer are the same age. One is older by a couple of weeks."

Rossi was surprised that she volunteered that much. Yet he got the feeling that she spent much of her life validating the facts. It would probably lead to resentment but Rossi saw none of that with Sophia. In fact, when Michael was there, she maintained a professional front and he did the same. Perhaps it was force of habit from many years or it was very good discipline. He looked at her desk and noted the organization. It was similar to what he had seen with Michael.

"I didn't coddle my brother," Sophia added as she observed Rossi. "I taught him the basics with social interaction and how to defend himself. He still is deficient in that he will miss social cues and often will tune out the world around him and go into his own world. That's why he's a bit less stiff than Spencer. Plus the military channeled it into what they expect of soldiers."

Rossi had forgotten that Michael was in the service for the moment. Then he remembered, "Do you know if he was stationed in Kandahar?"

Sophia felt a tingle of alarm but ventured cautiously, "What about it?"

"When we were at the dumpsite, he mentioned the province name as he walked around looking and thinking." Rossi watched Sophia for her reaction.

Sophia looked back as she gathered her things. She replied, "He was stationed there once. He probably remembered the landscape or something reminded him of it."

"Probably." Rossi decided to let it go. He had some suspicions floating around in the back of his mind. "Well I'll let you go."

"You sure you don't need escort?"

"No. We're good."

Sophia raised her brow at Rossi. She wasn't going to make a mountain out of a molehill and decided to leave it at that. Her big sister radar was on alert and she was ready to explain her brother as best as she could. She had been doing it since they were kids since she was the only one that made the effort to try and understand him and explain to him the world around him. "Okay. Hopefully my guys turn up something."

Rossi let her leave. "I'm optimistic," he offered.

Sophia left to head home to check on her family and make sure things were okay. She was on call as long as this thing was going on so if something happened, she would be the first to know. She left the building and started heading to her car but paused when she spotted something that was a familiar sight and one that had her want to beat some skulls together. Sometimes time didn't heal wounds and this was one thing that she wanted to avoid.

Her brother was standing there with a calm expression and not rising to the bait of one of one of her guys. She knew him on sight and had requested him be placed under her command. One was because he was a good cop but the other reason was that she knew he was the kind that became too 'passionate' in his work. And she knew the reasons why and one of them was right in front of her. Nothing had changed since they were kids.

She walked right up and said, "Baker. What are you doing?"

Baker looked at Sophia and then at Michael, who was standing there with a tired expression on his face and replied, "Just following a lead and the profile, Langston."

Sophia knew she had to tread carefully on this one. "And what would that be? What happened was over three years ago."

"It has nothing to do with it. Besides, you and I both know that the geek freak here fits what them FBI guys says," Baker replied gesturing at Michael. "Most particularly that he knows the neighborhood like the back of his hand." He took a couple of steps forward to challenge Michael.

Sophia knew that it could get ugly but watching her brother told her that he looked defeated. She said, "And there are at least ten others we can name. So far I haven't seen anything to warrant you to harass my brother." She gave a firm look at Baker as if to dare him to challenge her and if he did he would be sorry.

Baker narrowed his eyes and replied in a low tone, "Just because he's your brother doesn't make him innocent. You and I both know what he did."

"And the report says otherwise. Don't make this worse and ruin your career," Sophia warned.

Baker looked at the pair and gave a mocking look. "Fine, Langston. But I am watching and I will bust his ass like he deserves and send him where he belongs." He then turned and left.

Sophia held her ground until Baker had left before turning towards her brother. She became alarmed at his pale complexion and the tiredness in his face. She shook her head and said, "You really do dig yourself a hole and bury yourself in it." She tugged on his jacket sleeve to indicate he was to follow. All the while she was apprehensive since she knew that Baker was right and it was what Michael didn't tell her that had her worried.

~0~0~0~0~

Richard opened his eyes. It was dark. That was nothing new. The pain though. That was something new. Then again he just had his shoulder stabbed. He had been punched and shocked some more and… He wriggled his fingers. Oh yeah. A couple of fingernails were missing. Plus his ears were ringing from the noise of that ugly ass music. He felt disoriented and exhausted and he needed to go to the bathroom.

Sitting there in the dark, he thought about the "enhanced interrogation" he had been subject to. He thought about the questions that he had been asked. Most of it was like it was being asked from memory or something. The questions though had him puzzled. His captor kept asking about the supply runs. That was rather vague in Richard's opinion.

When he was over there in Afghanistan, he oversaw communications between the FOB and the units out in the field. He was mostly stationed near Mazer-e and the only supply runs that made sense were the staggered ones to the medical clinics along with unit field medics coming in to help and make sure that there was plenty of medical assistance. That seemed a possibility and Richard gave that but making it as vague as possible so as not to compromise anything just in case the guy holding him was some sort of crazy. That didn't work though.

It was another dig into his shoulder for his answers and his captor kept saying that he was lying. It wasn't until he got him so pissed off that he had his captor screaming about operations in the Kandahar province. That had Richard frown, blink and go silent. He had little to no idea what that was about. He knew the US military had strategic operations in country but as far as he knew, the Taliban had retaken the south and were causing problems. Sending supply runs out there was asking to be ambushed and with greenies going out there…

It took four rounds of punches and short stabs in his shoulder to convince his captor that he didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Then his captor punched him across the face and called him a liar. He was called a liar and too much of a damned sheepdog and that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

It was the craziest thing that Richard ever heard but he started putting pieces of the puzzle together but it was still fuzzy on his end. He finally said, "I am a communications expert with operations in the northern provinces. I have no affiliation with the southern operations."

That seemed to make his captor pause until he felt his hair grabbed from behind and his head yanked upwards. His captor said, "Of course you are trained to lie. We all were."

Richard was then left alone in the dark and here he was. He shook his head and looked around in the dark and muttered, "This is crazy shit."

At that moment there was the sound of deadbolts being removed and the door opening. Richard turned towards the light source and was immediately blinded when the lights went on. He shut his eyes to try and calm down the flare that was agitating them and shook his head. He listened to the sounds that was going on and he heard the grunts and mutters of his captor but also grunts of another and… it was female.

Richard managed to open his eyes and saw a woman being dragged as she struggled against the grip of her captor. He cried out in anger when his captor hit her across the face, stunning her. "Hey!"

His captor ignored him except to shove his chair with his foot, causing it to fall again. Richard banged the side of his head on the ground and blinked away the stars that had formed. He turned to see his captor reach for something hanging from the ceiling and put them around the wrists of the woman. Being someone who had been brought up to treat women right, it irked him to see that woman being chained like an animal and he jerked trying to move his body into the right position.

The woman had been suspended so her toes were barely touching the ground. She was basically hanging there and in a precarious position to asphyxiate if she didn't get relief. It also put her in position for something that just pissed him off if his captor decided on it. She was unconscious so that would work in her favor but it just changed the game drastically.

Being angered by the implications, Richard couldn't help but shout, "Hey. You think you're a big man?" He spat. "Yeah right. You're a coward. A weakling."

That sparked a reaction as his captor stiffened and with a cry of rage, he turned on Richard and started kicking him in the midsection. Since he was tied down, Richard couldn't do anything to protect himself though he did try to hunch himself into a fetal position as best as he could. It didn't do much good since the kicks were harder and he heard a sickening crack of ribs breaking. His captor was also shouting in a mixture of what sounded like Pashto and English. Richard couldn't tell since it was incoherent most of the time but he picked up that he wasn't a coward and that he just couldn't take it anymore.

Eventually the kicking stopped but it was only the start of throbbing pain for Richard. He tried taking in a couple of breaths and it hurt but it told him that he was still alive. He craned his head when he saw his captor start moving things around like he was clearing a space. He frowned at the action being taken and watched, trying to put things together though his head was fuzzy from being hit in the head and then his throbbing ribs.

At some point, his captor left the room. It was fortunate that he left the lights on. They were bright and didn't help his eyes but at least Richard wasn't in the dark anymore. The downside was that his captor didn't bother to put his chair upright. Well that was perfect. He could work with that. Sort of. He just needed to get his bearings.

A moan sounded and Richard paused. He craned his head towards the woman that was hanging from the ceiling. He prompted, "Hey. Hey you okay?"

The woman gave a moan and Richard thought he saw her eyes flutter open. It was hard to tell since her face was starting to sport a bruise from being hit. Still, it was an encouragement and he continued, "Come on. Wake up. It's okay."

The woman moaned and shifted, turning towards his voice. Richard wasn't a doctor but her response was certainly favorable. He craned his head to look and to make sure that she could see his face. He gave a slight smile and choked out, "That's it. Wake up. Look at me. Come on. Look at me." He took a couple of breaths as he held his position.

The woman managed to turn and look at him. She blinked blearily at him and tried to focus on him. She looked around at their prison and then up her arms. She looked at the cuffs around her wrists and followed the chain up to the ceiling. Her breathing started to pick up once she realized what was happening.

Richard watched her and was quick to say, "Hey, just breathe. Easy does it. Keep doing like that and you'll hyperventilate."

The woman nodded and slowed her breathing after taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she was focused. Her eyes glanced around to get a feeling for her surroundings despite the fact that she was suspended like she was.

Richard watched as she gained control. He nodded even though he looked and felt ridiculous given his position. "That's better. What's your name?"

"Jessica. Jessica Kirby," the woman replied.

"Richard Harrison."

Jessica nodded her acknowledgment of the man. She asked, "What is going on here? I was just out getting groceries when someone came up from behind and grabbed me. Next thing I know, I'm here."

Richard contemplated on telling Jessica the whole truth. If he didn't, she wouldn't be prepared for what may happen. If he did, she might panic or become less cooperative with their captive. If that happened, he couldn't only guess the worst but he figured that was why he was still alive. He was cooperating on some level. He decided to ask, "You know what's been happening in the neighborhood? The disappearances?"

"You mean?"

Richard made a grunt of agreement, "Yeah. This guy is the one that's being doing them."

Jessica blinked as she tried to pull on her bonds but only succeeded in making her arms ache. Her breathing started to pick up again as she exerted force on her bonds and started looking around for a way out. "Then what are we going to do? Isn't there a way out?"

"If there ways, I probably would have found it already," he muttered more out the urge to be sarcastic. It was an old habit and one that Kitty said he would never break out of. It was a part of him as being in the army.

"What does he want?"

If Richard could shrug, he would. He replied, "I don't know. He kept asking me about Kandahar province. I wasn't even stationed there."

Jessica frowned at that, "Kandahar province?" Then realization dawned on her. "That is where we almost lost strategic capabilities. If it hadn't been for Archangel, we would have been screwed."

"Who?"

Jessica looked at Richard and raised her brow, "You never heard of Archangel?"

Richard shook his head. He knew a lot of things but this wasn't one of them. He asked, "Who is that? Spec ops?"

"That's what they say. I was at the FOB in that region when we were almost compromised," Jessica replied as she adjusted her position. She made a face since it felt like her arms were being pulled out of their sockets. "He came in and managed to stop the enemy from mucking things up."

Richard glanced up at her. There had to be more to the story. There usually was since it was impossible for one man to do that. He wasn't going to scoff at it though since he had met a few of those Special Forces guys and you didn't want to mess around with them. They were serious about their work but there was also a bit of arrogance. Then again it went both ways at times. "You ever met him?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have known," Jessica offered. "The rumors are that he's among the best trained and is essentially a ghost at times. My guess he is an ODA team with DIA." She shrugged as best as she could. "Just stories though. His work though… got the job done. We were making headway in the south."

"And then it went wrong."

"Usually happens." Jessica looked around and sighed. She looked down at Richard. "What about you? Where did you serve?"

"Mazer-e."

Jessica gave an appreciative nod. It didn't matter really where you served. It was all the same meaning that you were fighting to help people and of course the war on terrorism. "What's your specialty?"

"Communications."

"Mine's weapons. Sniper really."

Richard gave a whistle of appreciation at that. He would have said more when the door opened and their captor came in. Richard moved his head to get a better view as the guy came in and set something down near one wall of the room. Before he could get a good look at it, Richard found himself being roughly righted and he winced from the jarring to his ribs. When he looked forward, he found himself facing a video camera. What the…

Their captor walked right by him to hang something behind him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was like those videos they had seen of captives on camera. Richard wondered if this was going to be his last day or night on earth. He didn't say anything but observed what was going on. It was better not to assume.

"What are you doing?"

Richard turned just in time to see their captor hit Jessica across the face and tell her to keep quiet. He barked, "Hey. You wanna hit someone, hit me."

It was eerie and it sent an uncomfortable feeling down his spine when his captor got close to his ear and said, "You will tell the infidels that they have a traitor amongst them. You will help me draw him out."

Richard said nothing but chewed his lower lip. He didn't like where this was going. His throat convulsed as his chair was pulled into position. His fingers wrapped under the edge of the arms. He swallowed as the finger reached for the button.

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Rossi is trying to get more on Mike and there seems to be an old rivalry hanging around. Also looks like the unsub brought another victim. What is going on here? Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Michael looked at his sister with a raised brow and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. He crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "I don't start them. They find me. You know that better than anyone Sophia."

Sophia resisted the urge to correct him. She sighed as she walked over to the kitchen counter to get a glass of water. She looked down at the sink and shook her head. "If only you were…"

"Normal? There is no such thing." Michael didn't mean to snap but this was an old argument. He turned to head to the counter. "And don't try that guilt trip thing," he warned, "I'm not twelve anymore."

Sophia turned around, "And you still act like one." She waited until Michael turned to look at her before continuing, "You couldn't resist playing with Spencer's maps and you couldn't resist doing whatever it is you do in front of Rossi…"

"It's what I do, Sophia," Michael countered quietly, "It's what I do in my job. Spence does something similar in his own way. We just… know how to work together and we had to since it was only us at Caltech."

"And you could've gone to one in state."

"Oh you mean stay at home in a place where you're picked on because you know the course material that the local high schoolers should know at the age of ten, can reduce basic human interaction into mechanics. Pop up useless facts and a father who has no idea what to make of you. Yeah that would have worked out much better." Michael narrowed his eyes and turned away. It was a bad mistake since his back started to bother him.

"Dad…" Sophia really couldn't say anything in their father's defense. The man loved them both. He just couldn't understand his son who showed little to no interest in things boys should be interested in and only saw basic hand to hand as a means to defend himself. She sighed, "Don't bring Dad into this. You know he doesn't understand."

"Mom did."

Sophia hissed slightly at that, "Mom…" She pursed her lips, not sure of what to say.

Michael turned to look at his sister. "Mom's dead. I know that. And Dad never forgave me for not going to her funeral but instead stayed in my room trying to write the mechanics of math in death." He raised his brow and added in an almost offhand manner, "And you wonder why I'm so aloof."

"Dad doesn't blame you."

Michael hummed at that as he rested his forearm against the doorframe to the kitchen door. He leaned to lighten the stress on his lower back. "Baker still blames me for his brother's mental break during boot and for getting his scholarship revoked."

"That was his fault with the scholarship. He was the one that made the choice to deal pot and shave points," Sophia pointed out.

"But I was the one that found it out when I studied the team scores." Michael looked at Sophia as he straightened up. "And I was the one that noticed what was wrong with his brother. I reported it to the drill sergeant. Section 8 was the right choice." He shook his head.

"And Richie is doing better in the facility he was checked into," Sophia replied softly. "I've kept in touch with their mother. She thinks you did the right thing."

"If only it were so."

"Mike, don't go Catholic on me with the guilt," Sophia warned. She was not being disrespectful but trying to make a point in her comparison. "You do what is right. Most people just don't understand the method of madness. Be thankful that you have at least one that does."

"Spence doesn't count," Michael teased back, "He's my little brother."

"By a couple of weeks."

Michael smiled at that and chuckled. "He's still my little brother," he replied softly as he looked at his sister. "Thanks for looking after him. After what happened to him."

Sophia frowned and looked at her brother. She took in his somber expression and the gratefulness in his eyes. Confused she asked, "How… How… What are you talking about?" She wasn't sure how to voice it.

"I know what happened to Spence. That he was kidnapped while on a case." Michael swallowed slightly and sighed. "Hotch called me. I have been called on assignment for the FBI since I first met him and Gideon and my CO thought it a good idea to send me to their profiler academy. Spence doesn't know that." He shook his head and added, "I'm not putting more on him."

Sophia's jaw dropped at that, "So I was right in getting on Agent Hotchner's case about you being in the field?"

"If you are pissed at it… then yeah." Michael gave a shrug and looked away. "Hopefully they get their man." He walked over to get a glass of water.

Sophia knew that the change in topic was because he considered it finished. She shook her head since he had a bit to learn about deep conversations but he was getting better. It seemed time in the army and meeting Sarai had done good work on him. When he shifted to the case at hand, she paid attention. She took a step towards him, "About that… Agent Hotchner wanted your perspective. When they gave the profile all you did was basically point to the neighbors."

"Gave them the truth, Sophia," Michael replied as he turned to look at her. "Who they're looking for knows our neighborhood. And you and I both know that people have trouble believing that their neighbors are criminals. Especially here."

Sophia got it but she didn't buy it and voiced it, "No. You know something more."

"Don't know any more than you do," Michael replied as he drank his glass of water. He gave a shrug of his shoulders. He set the glass down and checked his watch. "I gotta go."

Sophia frowned, "Where are you going?"

Michael walked through the living room and picked up his jacket. He paused when he heard noise upstairs. He answered Sophia's question, "I got a meeting." At his sister's look he made a slight face and elaborated, "Dad blabbed about me to some college girl that is doing a project on vets. I promised I'd do an interview at the coffee house at the university."

"Marie Ross?"

"Yeah." Michael checked his pockets to make sure that he had keys to the house. He picked up his prescription bottle with a look of disdain and put it in his pocket. "I know that she was a witness in your case but she was tenacious about finishing this project. Think maybe it is helping her cope." He walked towards the door and opened it. He was almost out when he popped his head back in and looked at her, "I'll probably be out for a while. Sarai knows."

Before Sophia could say anything, he was out the door. She made a sound as she heard the engine of the motorbike turn on. She rolled her eyes and made her way out of the house. He was already down the street, zipping away. She sighed and threw a half-hearted fist in the direction he had taken. She turned to head back to the house and pray that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Michael knew that taking the motorbike would annoy his sister. She only got on his case because of the fact that he was recuperating from his last deployment and he was being a stubborn ass about his medication. He was an accomplished rider since it was like riding a bicycle and it had come handy in various assignments and the bike he had bought a couple of years ago and his brother in law took care of it for him in exchange for the occasional ride. It was one of the few things that he had yet to surprise Reid with.

Leaning forward and peering through the visor of the helmet that he had on he pressed on towards the university. It gave him time to think about what happened that day and to process what he had learned about his sister's case. He thought about the map that Reid had been working with and what he helped him with along with what he remembered from his field trip with Rossi. It brought back memories that were as distinct as the crime scene photos he had seen that day.

Sophia and Emily weren't wrong when they guessed that he knew more than he let on. If he wanted to, he could extend that to Reid. If anything Spencer Reid would be able to see right through him if he tried an evasion technique and it was what groomed him for the FBI and the Behavioral Analysis Unit. In short, he knew more than what he revealed to help with the profile. He had suspicions on who it was but he wasn't sure since there were others that knew the level of detail that was being played out.

 _You were responsible for those men, lieutenant. Now they are dead._

Michael pursed his lips as he accelerated on the bike. He winced when he heard the voices, their voices. He could hear their whimpers, their cries. He heard _her_ cries. Her pleas for them to stop and he heard them. He heard their laughter. They laughed at their pain and they laughed at him because he was helpless to do anything. That was what angered him most of all.

 _This can all end, Lieutenant Michael. Just tell us what we want to know and it will all end. You won't suffer. They won't suffer._

"They know, we fail," Michael muttered to himself.

He wasn't sure but there was more to his sister's case. He was suspicious of the elements of this puzzle. But it felt like too much of a coincidence. Then again the notion of a coincidence… He gave a wry smile at the vocabulary lesson he could hear Reid going into. And to top it off, old beefs still reared their ugly heads. It was one of the reasons why he rarely came home to Austin and why he spent his time in the DC area with Reid.

Making an adjustment, he turned down the familiar road towards the university. He pulled into the parking lot outside the café and selected a parking spot. He sat up and his feet touched the ground as he looked around at the campus. He gave a slight smile as he sat up before swinging his leg over to get off the bike and removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

The café was bustling with college students getting ready to go to night class or to the library to burn the night oil. Michael walked in with calm assurance and got in line with the other students and possibly faculty to order coffee. He kept to himself as he waited for his turn, occasionally listening to the chatter of students. He heard some snippets of conversation related to his sister's case including comments about the FBI there.

"Did you know that they called in the FBI?"

"No."

"Yeah. There's one real cute one. Kind of nerdy looking but cute."

Michael resisted laughing out loud but he couldn't hold in the chuckle. He knew who they were talking about. He didn't let on but continued to look around as he inched forward in line. He shifted and looked around to see students milling and talking. It was vastly different from what he had seen while on deployment. It made it easy to take for granted the freedoms that existed here.

It was no time at all that he ordered a tall cup of coffee, black; he didn't have a sweet tooth like Reid and he learned to live without that luxury. He had accepted it and was starting to move away when he turned and spotted the girl who wanted to interview him and rotated his shoulders before approaching. He addressed her, "Marie Ross?"

Marie looked up from her notes and upon seeing him, she smiled, "Yes. Hi. Are you Michael Nassar?" She stood up and took his hand, gesturing towards the chair opposite of him. "Please, have a seat."

Michael smiled and took the seat. He set his helmet on the ground by his feet. "Pleased to meet you," he said with a smile. "My dad said that you were doing something for a project or something?"

"Yes," Marie began, "He wouldn't stop talking about you being in the army. He said you were a hero."

Michael made a slight smile at that. He gave a slight shake of his head, "I think he's exaggerating but… I do what I can serving." He gave a chuckle and adjusted his seating to proceed with the interview.

~0~0~0~0~

"So what's the deal with your friend?"

Reid looked up from the book that Michael had slipped to him earlier. It was a rare edition of a medieval text. Again his friend never ceased to surprise him when it came to remembering the little things like his liking of classic literature. He looked over at Morgan who was settling down to catch a few hours of sleep. He frowned, "What do you mean?"

Morgan looked at Reid. He had to admit that he had been stupefied by the presence of his friend who, at times, seemed to be the complete opposite of the youngest member of the BAU. He saw that there was some intelligence since he made sense of Reid's geographical profile and seemed to impress Rossi. The only thing that held him up was the fact that he didn't say much when they gave the profile.

Knowing that Reid could get defensive, Morgan, decided to lead into the conversation. They were profilers and were trained to look for these kinds of things. He replied, "Well… he doesn't seem like someone you would be friends with." It was lame probably inflammatory but it was hard to be tactful about a guy who just defied convention.

Reid looked at Morgan and could have retorted angrily but chose not to. Rather a slight smile appeared and he said, "Not everything is as it appears, Morgan."

"Famous quote?"

"More like what I learned about Mike when we were in school." Reid thought about it a moment. He adjusted his book so the pages didn't wrinkle and looked up at Morgan and continued, "The school gave me the basics on Mike and I thought it was going to fine since he was like me. Graduated high school like I did, IQ comparable to mine and was rated Mensa. All out a perfect roommate." Reid gave a slight shrug before he grinned more in memory, "And then move in day happened."

"Don't tell me he was not what it said," Morgan smiled at that to keep the conversation light.

"Actually he was that but that is not what I saw."

"What he came in wearing a football jersey and started getting loud like a jock?" Morgan meant to tease Reid a little but when the younger agent looked at him with a serious expression, he sobered. "No. Really?"

"He did come in with a football jersey. Mike liked college ball better than professional," Reid made a slight face as he remembered. "Notre Dame was his team. He would watch the games at a local pub. Oh and he announced himself as the prodigal roommate."

"What?"

Reid shrugged as he remembered move in day. He shook his head slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I thought someone played a horrible trick on me but no. He's my age, older by a couple of weeks and different than me."

"So how'd you figure that out?"

"Aside from the fact that he actually studied? Maybe when he actually solved a math problem I had been working on. He came right up, watched, said that the first part was good and that I had made a mistake. He showed it to me, made the changes and then walked away."

"He walked away?"

"Because he had an engineering book he had to read for class. Which he read in less than an hour." Reid was aware it was starting to sound like he was rambling about his friend and extolling his abilities. "But the actual change was when he actually got into a fight."

"Whoa, a fight?" Morgan was listening to the story and he still wasn't believing that Reid's 'smart jock' friend was actually real even though he witnessed it at the station.

"Mike doesn't like bullies," Reid said making a face like he did when thinking about something and giving an answer. It was like a floodgate had been opened with all the memories and the good times he and Michael had.

"Doesn't like bullies?"

"And he really doesn't like it when people mistreat a girl. A girl in our dorm once called him Don Quixote." Reid refrained from giving more on that. Even he didn't like thinking about it at times.

"Because he's disillusioned?"

"Chivalry." Reid pursed his lips and sat there. He shrugged his shoulders. "Just who he is. Satisfied?"

"Just having trouble believing that he's like that," Morgan admitted. "I mean he looked more like a down to earth college professor."

"That would be Sophie's doing," Reid admitted with an amused frown.

"Detective Langston?"

"Yeah," Reid replied making a face before looking back down at his book.

Morgan grinned and teased, "Sounds like there's a story behind that."

Reid looked up in thought and shook his head, "Not really. Sophie just made sure he could defend himself if he needed it and how to be sociable. He still misses things but he's better than me." He chuckled slightly, "And Sophie says I'm the funny one."

Morgan paused in his sort of interrogation. He could see that Michael was someone important in Reid's life and still was. Sure it had been uttered like a joke that they were long lost twins but Morgan could see a kinship there that was like that of brothers and he suspected that there were quite a few events that cemented that bond.

Reid glanced at Morgan. He knew that they were all curious about one the one thing that he kept from them. It wasn't like they knew everything about each other but they knew enough to know what was going on for the most part. Reid wasn't really sure why he never mentioned Michael before even when he made an impression on the team by strolling into the bullpen and acting like he belonged. He got lucky in that he was the last to leave that night and no one saw him. Maybe it had in part to do with the fact that he had been "read in" to what his best friend did for the army. The other part was that like Michael's brotherly tendencies, Reid felt compelled to do the same. Tapping his finger on his book, he added, "He's not a bad guy, Morgan. Just… quirky."

That was putting it mildly in Morgan's opinion but he could agree with that. He took the seat across from Reid and said, "No more than you, man."

Reid gave a slight smile, "I'm nothing like him."

Morgan grins. At least it put Reid in a good mood. He didn't like the next set of questions that he was going to ask. It felt like he was going to bash a guy's character and he wasn't there to stand up for himself. Reid would defend him but…

"He's not a bad guy."

"I know that, kid," Morgan replied to Reid's quiet assertion. "Just… he doesn't seem like…"

"Like I said," Reid looked up from his reading and looked at Morgan, "Don't judge a book." He smiled. He sobered and continued, "I know you're interested about his being in the Army and… he's telling the truth. He doesn't sit behind a desk. He actually goes out in the field."

"And I have trouble believing it since I met him and saw what he can do," Morgan pointed out.

"He uses it. Just… differently," Reid tried to explain. He cleared his throat. "Uh Rossi got a small taste of it. Mike views spatial relations as they unfold before him and view probability of all possible avenues. But you should really see how he can map an area and remember every detail even years after it is long gone."

"Now _that_ sounds like you," Morgan gestured, amused but understanding a little of what Reid's friend was about. "So he uses that to do what he does?"

Reid sighed and thought about it for a moment. "He works for DIA, the…"

"Defense Intelligence Agency," Morgan finished, "So that's the reason you had Emily frowning in confusion on the plane." He sat back in his seat, "You were giving but not telling."

"Kind of have to," Reid countered with a wide eyed, serious expression on his face. He closed his book, deciding to save some for another time. "It's his job. A lot of what he does… people will never know about and probably a good thing." He sat back in his seat.

"But you know," Morgan stated rather than asked.

"I can. I just don't," Reid corrected. He looked at the window of the motel room and pursed his lips in thought. "I figured that… less chance of someone trying to hurt him." He turned to look at Morgan before getting up to put his book away. He held it in his hand as he looked out the window. He knew that something had been off that day with his friend and it had been lingering in his mind. He looked at Morgan and said, "I won't let anyone hurt him if I can."

Morgan would have said something but was interrupted with a knock on the door. He looked at Reid before going to answer it. He opened the door to find Hotchner at the door. He looked at the team leader who glanced at Reid looking out the window. He prodded, "Yeah?"

"He got another one," was all that Hotchner said.

* * *

 **A/N:** Mike and Sophia have a talk and Mike heads out. Morgan tries to learn more from Reid about Mike and it looks like the unsub's next victim has been realized. More next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Another one in less than two days?" Morgan looked around at the team as they gathered at the police station.

"Who's the victim?" Rossi sat on the edge of the conference table with his arms crossed over his chest in thought.

Sophia stepped forward looking alert but it was clear that she was tired and feeling the pressure from this case. She had gotten the call and went right away with an apology to her husband and the usual quips to her father. Michael hadn't been home yet and it had her worried. She put it at the back of her mind as she answered, "Jessica Kirby, aged 32. She was abducted from a grocery parking lot. Her car was found unlocked. She is home after a six month deployment." She held up the case file and handed it over.

"Why would the unsub take another so soon without disposing of the last one?" Emily looked at the others.

"Sounds like he's upping his game," Rossi pointed out.

"So maybe he needs a bigger fix," Morgan added, trying to help point out in figuring this guy out. "The last three were not enough."

"Or he's building up to something," Hotchner pointed out.

Emily was going to say something but her phone rang. She checked and saw that it was Garcia. She turned to indicate that she would be back and went to seek some privacy. She glanced around and said, "Garcia, what do you have for me?"

 _Despite the fact that you failed to mention that your query is about tall, dark and handsome, I've got something but I don't know if it will help._

Emily smiled at Garcia's reply and said, "Yeah. It was a surprise too."

 _Anyway, I've got quite a bit on Michael Nassar. Born and raised in Austin, Texas to Hamraz and Mahtab Nassar on October 14, 1981…_

"So he is the same age as Reid." Emily wanted to smile at that since she couldn't see it when she met the man.

 _Yeah and mom died when he was eight. Pretty hard for a little genius. Practically raised by dad and his sister._

"That had to have been rough," Emily commented. It was something new that Reid hadn't mentioned.

 _And if that isn't crazy enough, he graduated from McCallum High School at the age of twelve and enrolled at Caltech in mechanical and civil engineering programs and graduated with honors and added mathematics. He went onto PhD work in mechanical engineering and added a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology…_

"Definitely as Reid admitted," Emily replied. "Anything about his current profession?"

 _Um... well he graduated from Yale law, passed the bar with flying colors and practiced at a top law firm for six months before he quit and joined the Army._

"He quit after six months?" Emily frowned at that. Reid mentioned that his friend was military and was a lawyer. She assumed that it was for the military. It was strange in her opinion and had her wondering how Reid became friends with him.

 _Yeah. Strange but apparently the genius was recognized. He went through basic training and was picked up by brass and after that… nothing._

"Nothing? No record of service?"

 _Just initial assignment but then nothing. No records nothing._

Emily paused at that. She remembered how evasive Reid had been on the plane. He confirmed her suspicion that it was the nature of Michael's job. She just didn't figure it to be something like this. It then occurred to her that Reid would know the entirety of his friend's job. "Thanks, Garcia."

 _No problem. Hey, tell me what he's like._

Emily couldn't help but grin at that. She remembered Garcia had almost been speechless at seeing Reid's friend at the BAU. Michael certainly made an impression and in putting the events together, she figured that he had been on R&R from his deployment. It certainly made sense.

 _Also I thought I should add that his permanent address has been listed at Hyde Park._

Emily paused when she heard that but countered, "His sister Sophia Langston…"

 _Sophia Nassar married to David Langston. They have two children. A daughter aged four and a son aged three and they have been living at the family home in Hyde Park since moving in to take care of their father._

Emily paused at that. She recalled the profile and it had her open her mouth in silence. She ran her tongue on her upper teeth. She thanked Garcia and told her to keep her posted if anything else came up before hanging up. She held her phone in her hand and turned to look at the team as they were trying to figure out why the two victims. Her gaze lighted on Reid and her heart went out to him since she came to a conclusion that wasn't going to sit well.

Walking back to hear what the assignments were going to be, she decided to speak to Hotchner in private before it was put out there. After all, the lead detective was Reid's friend's sister. It put the team in a precarious situation and certainly Reid. She held her phone and joined the team. She sidled next to Morgan.

"What was that about?" Morgan looked at Emily with an inquisitive look.

"Just Garcia," Emily replied looking at everyone. "She was filling in on Jessica Kirby." She uttered the lie effortlessly but shot a look at Hotchner to indicate she had something for him. "Same as the others. As far as service, it was her second deployment. And no connection with the others."

Hotchner looked at Emily for a moment with the piercing gaze he was known for. He then relayed his orders, "Okay, Prentis and Morgan, check out the latest abduction site. Reid, make adjustments on your map." He looked at Sophia and asked, "Detective Langston, you might need to redouble your efforts within the area defined by the geographical profile and pool all your suspects to look at them closely. Find out who was where and when at the time of abduction."

Sophia looked at Hotchner, sensing that there was more to it than that. She nodded, "I will have them do that. And for the record Agent Hotchner, Mike was with the girl who found Kitty Harrison injured. It was a prearranged meeting."

Hotchner looked at Sophia. He knew that she probably should remove herself from the case but at the moment she wasn't acting with bias. She was just giving him what was necessary and showing that she could look at the more difficult of choices and make them if necessary. He gave a nod and said, "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

There was nothing more to be said and Hotchner took in her gaze and nodded. "Alright."

Turning to the rest of the team Hotchner left Sophia to do her work in pooling together the suspects. He walked up to Rossi after taking a moment to look at Reid's work. With Michael's notes and Reid's skill, they had it narrowed considerably down to a reasonable search area. His only concern was the fact that he considered a possibility that was going to create tension. Looking at Rossi he said, "Detective Langston informed me her brother was out at an interview. Marie Ross. Check in with her and follow up."

Rossi hadn't missed the exchanges between Hotchner and Sophia. He suspected that there was more to their consultant friend than meets the eye apart from what he had been told about the kid. And it seemed that great pains were being taken to avoid letting Reid know specifics. That told him that Hotchner knew more about Reid's friend than he admitted to as well as the fact that Michael meant a lot to Reid. Rossi was willing to tread lightly but he sensed that it could blow up in their faces. He glanced over at Reid who had finished what he was doing.

Deciding to be diplomatic, he stepped forward saying, "You know… I'll check in with this Marie Ross. Maybe she might have something we missed. I'll take Reid."

Hotchner looked at Rossi. He thought about it for a moment and nodded. At the same time he called out to Reid, "Reid. Go with Rossi." He looked at Rossi and gave a look.

Rossi nodded and turned to leave. He paused to give Sophia a nod and a polite smile. He turned the moment he saw Reid picking up his bag and preparing to go. "We'll let you know if we find something," he said before leaving the room.

Sophia watched as Reid and Rossi leave before turning towards Hotchner. She took a breath and said, "I know what you're thinking. I know you are doing your job but bear in mind that Michael is not your typical person. Not in any sense of the word."

"I know, Detective," Hotchner replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. "When Agent Gideon and I first met him, Gideon was the one that profiled him. It was when Reid was first starting out and he visited. He impressed us both and we encouraged him to apply."

"And he refused."

"Pretty much."

Sophia gave a slight chuckle. She gave a slight shrug and gave, "One thing I made sure to teach my brother was how to determine what he wanted and to know his own mind; be independent." She shifted on her feet as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Michael may not be… the best in communicating but he is perceptive. A lot more than most people would be."

"Perceptive?"

"He would have noticed things, little things that defined your responses. And he would have crafted his responses to you." Sophia knew how it was sounding and she made to reassure Hotchner, "He wouldn't do it to hide. He watches behavior as much as you do and uses it to survive."

Hotchner looked at Sophia, absorbing her words. He was tempted to say something but Sophia was called away by one of her detectives. She gave him a look before turning her attention. He understood. She may be lead on the current case but there were other cases and her officers were doing what they could and she had to check on evidence and leads. It did give him a chance to mull on things before JJ came over to brief him on her end with her liaison with the local PD. It was pushed to the back of his mind.

~0~0~0~0~

Reid stared out at the streets. He pondered the disappearance of the next victim before the dumping of the next. It didn't make any sense and it gave credence to the possibility that the unsub was devolving. It could also mean that their guy was upping the ante. It was disconcerting that there was something off about this case. And it had something to do with his friend. Where that came from, he didn't know and it was disconcerting since he was centered in facts, probability and certainty.

 _Nothing is ever completely certain, Spence._

 _But there is certainty in mathematics, probability. There is a certainty that gravity exists._

 _True, but when it comes to humans and behavior… that is rife with uncertainty within the certainty._

Reid felt his lip twitch and he felt the faint hints of a smile on his face. He remembered that conversation. Michael had been reading one of his cultural anthropology texts after taking a break from his mechanical engineering work. Reid didn't understand why he immersed himself on two sides of a spectrum at the time but thinking about it now, it was a part of the way how Michael approached life and always seemed so well rounded despite the fact that his friend had his moments where he just had people gaping in surprise.

"You really had some good times with your friend, huh kid?"

Reid blinked as he realized Rossi was talking to him. He replied, "Yeah. Uh… just remembering what we once talked about as I was thinking about the case. The whole thing about the second victim and no body from the last…"

Rossi let Reid muse over it as he made the turn to the block that had Marie Ross' home. After a time, he said, "Well perhaps Marie Ross can give us some insight to that."

Reid frowned at that, "I don't know…" He looked out the window as Rossi pulled up in front of a house. "That's Sophie's house."

Rossi put the SUV in park and raised his brow, "You're kidding me?"

Reid gave a quick shake of his head as he looked out the window replying, "No. It's actually her father's house. She mentioned that she moved back home because of health reasons for him." He stood in front of the house with his hands on his hips, not sure what to make of it but also remembering one trip to Austin and visiting this place. He gave one last gaze and turned to go with Rossi to the girl's door.

Rossi was surprised that Reid didn't insist on going. Then again they were on the job and the kid was good at sticking to it even with a couple of times where he seemed bent out of shape. In any case, he led the way up to the front porch and rang the bell. He took the time to observe Reid as he looked around at the surrounding neighborhood.

They didn't have long to wait for the door opened to reveal Marie. She eyed both Reid and Rossi with a raised brow and asked, "Yes?"

Rossi spoke up, "Miss Ross, we're with the FBI…"

"This is about the kidnappings and murders," Marie replied bluntly. She sobered and her look became bland. "I told the detectives about that. Did you find Mr. Harrison?"

"We're still working on that," Rossi replied, picking up how the girl almost shut herself off. He wondered if it was reaction to their presence there or it was just a force of habit. It was something that he had noticed in quite a few of the people there. He prompted, "Can we come in?"

It was a bit awkward in that the girl kept both him and Reid waiting on the porch before deciding to let them in. Then again it was probably smart of her considering that she was a witness to a terrible crime. She let them in and led them to her living area after a girl her age got up from the couch and headed up the stairs. She gave a slight shrug and said, "Communal living."

Rossi declined her offer for a drink before getting right to the point, "We came because there was another kidnapping last night. Jessica Kirby. Do you know her?" It was a long shot but if their second missing person was connected to Marie Ross in some way then it would establish more of a pattern with their unsub.

Marie frowned a little at the question and replied, "Yes. She was one of my first interviews for my cultural studies project. What happened?" Her eyes got wide as if she was going to go into a panic.

Reid noticed and was quick to say, "We don't know where she is. She was taken from her car last night."

"We know that the victims talked to you," Rossi continued giving that hard look that told people that they shouldn't try to lie to him. It was the same one he gave Garcia when she was shot and he demanded what was in the encrypted file. "What was it about?"

"Just a collection of war stories. That kind of thing," Marie replied, confused about the situation. She had gotten her initial panic under control though it was telling on her face that she was wondering if she was the cause of all this. That her interviewing soldiers got them into trouble.

"Why?"

"More to make the folks here understand what they do and what they go through." Marie looked at the two agents. "Do you think that…?"

"We're looking at every angle," Rossi replied.

"We're not accusing you," Reid added, "But we need to know the specifics of how you met the victims, and where. There is a possibility that who we're looking for was watching you or more specifically the victims." He altered his statement to try and not put the girl into a panic. They didn't need that and it would end up making the job more difficult.

"I came up with the idea when I was helping out my neighbor," Marie replied as she gestured towards the window that had a view of the house next door.

"Your neighbor?"

"Mr. Hamraz," Marie clarified. "He likes to tell me about his son. He's currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan… not really sure." She shrugged her shoulders since it didn't seem all that important. "My professor gave the okay and pointed me in the direction of the local VA to start pooling candidates. I would schedule around them and meet them where they felt comfortable. Usually in a public place like the university café or something. Mr. Harrison was an exception."

Rossi listened to the explanation and looked at Reid, "Could be where he chose his targets."

"Are you saying that one of those guys is the one you're looking for?" Marie looked at both Reid and Rossi in disbelief.

Rossi tried to be tactful since this was a delicate situation. He replied, "We are looking at the possibility since Mr. and Mrs. Harrison were attacked in a manner that is similar to military tactics."

"We also think that it is someone who is familiar with the neighborhood," Reid took over. "Do you know anyone who may have had a grudge and it was more than a neighbor grudge." It sounded awkward but he made his point.

Marie thought about it and shook her head, "No. Nothing comes to mind. If the neighbors have a disagreement, it is usually settled pretty fast. No one is going to kill someone over a gardening tool not being returned." She looked at the agents before the clock chimed. "I'm sorry. I gotta go. I have a class." She stood up from from seat.

Taking that as the cure that they were dismissed, Reid and Rossi stood and let themselves be ushered out of Marie's house. Rossi made sure to give his card just in case anything came to mind. It was a relief that she took it and tucked it into her book bag that she had waiting for her at the door. They walked with her out the door and they separated, leaving her to head down the driveway to her car.

"Well, more likely our unsub was trolling the VA center and watching," Rossi mused as he stood by the SUV and watched as Marie pulled out of the driveway.

Reid was watching but his eye was on the house next door. An idea was mulling through his head as he was listening to Rossi and he replied, "But she met them in public places to conduct the interviews. And they differed in location."

"But maybe it all started at the VA. That's where she would have gone."

It was a possibility and one that seemed most plausible. Reid replied, "He could have picked them out or maybe was part of the project."

Reid nodded in agreement. That was a possibility but there was something that was nagging him. He couldn't figure out what and he ended up staring at Sophia's house. He frowned as he thought about the information they had gathered as he stared at the house. He was tempted to go and see if Michael was home and ask a few questions.

"You wanna stay and say hello?"

Reid thought about it. Then again it probably wasn't a good idea. He remembered the older man quite well and while he wasn't mean, it was not exactly smooth sailing. Later, he came to realizing that maybe it had something to do with the fact that Michael was not normal in the sense that he was a genius and his dad just didn't know how to deal with it. Luckily Sophia was there to smooth things over. He shook his head, "No."

"You sure?" Rossi raised his brow at that. From what he had seen Reid had changed in his behavior the moment he saw Sophia and Michael. It didn't take a profiler to notice that they were people that had an impact on Reid's life.

"More likely he'll be busy," Reid offered.

Rossi wasn't going to buy it and countered, "A retiree? Come on kid. Besides I want to ask him a couple of questions about his conversations with Marie." He adjusted his jacket and started to walk towards the house.

Reid hesitated before following Rossi. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak to the old man. He just didn't want to make too many waves. It was hard enough that he did know Sophia as he did and brought in his best friend but only because he needed a question or two answered. He was beginning to feel that he had dragged his friend into something that he shouldn't have and it had him wonder why Hotchner didn't put a stop to it.

Rossi sensed the hesitation and turned back to look at Reid. He called out to him, "Come on, Reid. We haven't got all day."

Reid knew that he couldn't drag his feet. The upside to this was that he was a familiar face and that would make things easier. He knew that Michael's father was loyal to the Unites States but had a bit of suspicion and paranoia. It took time to gain trust and he learned that the reason why had to do with childhood experiences. So he followed Rossi up the path and up the stairs to the porch to the house that looked like it was out of those classic television shows. Then again most of the homes in Hyde Park were historical and bungalows.

Rossi looked at Reid before ringing the doorbell. While he could justify this as a follow up to his line of questions, he would take this as an opportunity to learn more about Reid's friend. He had seen a little of what had been given in matter of fact and joking tones. He saw how Sophia acted around him so it had him wonder about other family members. "You sure that his dad is still alive?"

"Alive and kicking," Reid replied as he went with his old standby of shoving his hands in his pants' pockets. "He watches Sophie's kids."

Rossi would have said something but noise from the door indicated that someone was on the other side and opening it. He turned and said, "You make the introductions, kid."

Reid would gladly have done that no matter what if the circumstances were more of a friendly introduction than an interrogation. Nodding, he prepped to introduce him and Rossi when the door opened. He expected the old man but what he got had him go speechless and start to stammer.

"How may I help you?"

* * *

 **A/N:** The team tries to sort out the latest victim and Reid and Rossi end up at a place Reid knows well and end up meeting someone they didn't expect. Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Emily inspected the car that was sitting in the middle of the parking lot. She took in the fact that there wasn't damage to the car. All pointing to the fact that the point was abduction and the victim didn't have a chance to get into her car. The only signs of struggle were outside the car. The evidence was in the spilled bag of groceries.

"So no one really saw anything but with surveillance being pulled, we might have a good chance of catching this guy," Morgan said as he came back from talking to the officer and one of the witnesses that had been working at the time of the abduction. He looked at Emily as he waited for her reaction.

Emily heard what Morgan was saying but she was focused on the car and her thoughts were wandering to what she had learned about Reid's friend. It was natural curiosity but also the fact that he had appeared so blasé about everything… it was unnerving and Reid didn't seem to have a problem with it. She should trust her colleague but her instinct was saying that there was something about his friend and that he might know more about what was going on than what he told them.

It was a relief that there were no reasons to suspect terrorists. That was one less thing on their plates with this case. Still though… Emily wasn't thinking that Michael was a bad guy. There was just something about him that had her suspicious. She just wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing and she was leaning on the idea that it wasn't a bad thing. She kept musing on it, not really responding to Morgan.

Morgan saw Emily's distracted air and probed, "Hey, you with me Emily?" He frowned in an inquisitive manner. He gave her a tap to the arm.

Emily realized that she hadn't been paying attention and turned to Morgan, "Huh? Sorry."

Morgan straightened up and looked at Emily. True there was a sort of no profiling on your teammates rule but it wasn't always followed. He studied her and thought about what had been going on that day. "Does this have to do with the phone call you got when we learned of this kidnapping?"

Emily knew that she wasn't going to be able to hide it from Morgan. It was difficult to keep secrets from the team since they were all trained to look at human behavior. She replied, "Maybe."

Morgan straightened up and was going to question her when he got a phone call. He answered it, recognizing who it was, and said, "Talk to me, Mama."

 _I just did a preliminary look at the security footage and something really stuck out._

"What is it?"

 _Emily's tall, dark and handsome was spotted in the area. He is right on camera right around the time when Jessica Kirby was abducted._

Morgan straightened up and asked, "Who?"

 _Uh…_

"It's okay Garcia," Emily said.

 _Michael Nassar. Reid's friend._

Morgan looked at Emily and thanked Garcia before hanging up. He looked at Emily. He wasn't sure of what to say. He pursed his lips at Emily and watched her reaction. He saw the look and he said, "We have to tell Hotch."

"I know but," Emily paced. She didn't want to think the worst of Reid's friend. It was easy to jump into worst case scenario. They couldn't do that in this case. What she was thinking though was that this could affect Reid in a way that wasn't good. Looking at Morgan, she was seeing that he was thinking the same thing. She shook her head, "I don't think the unsub is him."

"Emily," Morgan said as he sighed. He didn't want to think the worst of Reid's friend either. Not after their talk last night. "We got to. I don't want to think the worst of him either. And it could be that he's a witness."

"But why wouldn't he come forward?" Emily frowned at that. It puzzled her too. "He knows Reid works in law enforcement. He's a really smart guy. He would know that we are looking for anything on the unsub."

That was a puzzling aspect. Morgan shrugged his shoulders and looked at the scene. He turned to look back at the store. He recalled what Garcia said and studied the store. They were going to have to look at the entire footage but that wasn't going to exempt Reid's friend from being questioned. "I don't know. Maybe he knows something."

"And why wouldn't he tell us?" Emily looked at Morgan, more to try and find an answer to this curveball that had been thrown their way. She thought about what Reid had revealed and what Garcia couldn't find on him. She turned towards Morgan and postulated, "Maybe he knows who it is and he is protecting him."

"Really?" Morgan was a bit dubious but they did have to explore possibilities.

"I don't know. Given that we know next to nothing on him, I'm starting to think that this case is centered on Reid's friend." Emily rubbed her forehead as she tried to process it. It sounded farfetched but she couldn't really ignore it considering what she found. "But you're right. We should let Hotch know."

Morgan studied Emily and thought about what they learned. It could be a coincidence and just wrong place, wrong time type of thing. They were just reacting that way because it was someone new and one they didn't know about in Reid's life. The disconcerting thing was that Reid never mentioned it and his reaction to his friend was behavior they hadn't really seen before. It was almost like Reid had split into two different people and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Both looked at each other and Morgan nodded that he was going to make the call. He pulled out his cell phone and turned away so no one would listen in to make the call. He sighed and waited for Hotchner to pick up. He got him on the second ring and began without preamble, "Hotch, we may have something and you might not like it."

In the meantime, Emily went back to looking at the scene. She looked at the spilled groceries and the car. She then looked at the nearby road. The unsub was like Michael had said; they were intimately familiar with the neighborhood. It would explain the ability to move around without being seen as suspicious. It had her thoughts go back to what she and Morgan just learned. It could be just coincidence but they really did know next to nothing about Reid's friend.

"It's hard to believe someone from the neighborhood could do this."

Emily turned to see a youngish detective looking at the scene. She recognized him from when they did the profile. He looked like a puppy eager to please. He was also serious about catching this guy to. She offered, "Well sometimes an unsub can hide who they are, making them high functioning. They would appear normal and most people wouldn't suspect. Ortega, right?"

Ortega nodded, "Still… Jessica is a nice woman and trained in hand to hand. I find it hard that she could be taken that easily." He gave a slight chuckle, "She used to wipe the floor with me at the gym."

"Well probably our guy knew that which was why he snuck up from behind," Emily replied. She then gestured at the scene, "And look here. This says that there was some sort of struggle. Because Jessica was home form deployment her training was still very fresh and kicked in. That and the fact that she knew how to defend herself…"

Ortega looked at Emily. "Are you saying that it's bad for her?"

"I don't really know."

Ortega nodded, accepting that. It would have been easier to shout at the FBI agent since it was easy to hold them in awe. They were feds after all and it was easier to assume they knew everything. People forgot that they were human too. "Well," he offered, "I know Jessy will give hell. She's a survivor."

"Hold onto that."

"I do." Ortega paused a moment and sidled up to her to avoid being overheard. He spoke in a low voice, "And I don't believe Sophie's brother is involved."

Emily paused and looked at the young detective, "What makes you say that?"

Ortega shuffled a bit uneasily on his feet and looked around to make sure the others were doing their job and not paying attention. He kept his voice low so that no one but Emily heard him, "I met him and yeah he's a little weird like your geeky guy but not a mean bone in his body. Some people like to pick a fight with him because he doesn't think like other people."

Emily hadn't expected someone else to think that Reid's friend fit the profile. Maybe not to a T but enough to be considered a viable suspect. If that was the case then more than likely Sophia wasn't being as objective as she should be or her detectives were like Ortega and they knew that Reid's friend was a little unusual. "He's been in fights?"

"Mostly because he points out things that could affect something like the outcome of a game. Replays on football, he can be a nightmare," Ortega joked. "He did that during a Dallas game saying that a challenge was valid and gave an explanation. When the replay showed… man did he get the looks. Some were pissed because they bet on it."

Emily pursed her lips as she thought about it. Even though she thought Reid and Michael were genius twins it was clear that they were opposite of each other and it complemented. "Seems like he can't help himself."

"Numbers and probability. Lot of math involved." Ortega shrugged his shoulders at that. "I'm not like him but I tell ya, one time he gave Sophie a calculation over their face time which was like thirty minutes or something like that and helped us find and nail a suspect. He's a genius but more down to earth."

There was no denying that. Emily saw the difference in dress and mannerisms and the fact that Michael was active in the US Army. She had to ask, "Anyone who would insist?"

Ortega shrugged, "A few guys on the force. Mostly because Mike kind of kicked their asses in a sparring match and then later recapped on what they did."

Emily was starting to see a pattern. From an outsider view, it looked like Michael was being arrogant by pointing out what they did wrong. His manner of delivery would have suggested it when in truth he was only trying to help. But even she knew that wasn't going to fly with most people. They reacted by what they saw and usually it was with the obvious.

Ortega guessed at what she was thinking and added, "Look, I told you because he fits. But I'm telling ya, it ain't him. Knowing Sophie though, she will respect your opinion."

Put that way made it sound like betrayal but that told Emily Sophia Langston had strong ethics and morality issues. Most would say that it had no place in a job like theirs and yet… Emily found it admirable. It was hard to find honest cops in certain areas that required a lie here and there and then a lot of pride on the line. She watched as the detective move away to accept a phone call. At that moment Morgan came up to her.

Emily saw that it was urgent and asked, "What is it?"

"There's been a change."

~0~0~0~0~

Michael sat in a crouched position on the roof of the old youth center and peered out over the neighborhood. He lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes and slowly surveyed the landscape, noting where the crime scenes or rather dump sites were as well as the abductions. Committing the locations to memory, he noted them on the map he picked up from the mini mart he stopped at the night before.

He was not a police officer but his conscience pricked at him since he had an idea of who it was doing this. He had placed a couple of late night calls on his end to ask for answers since he wasn't really out of favor with anyone. His CO thought he was nuts for working when he should be resting and threatened to chew him out when he came back. It was the same old thing he went through when in country and it always turned out the same. He just had to be sure since the little bits were adding up and he was feeling guilty for not saying anything to his best friend and his team.

He received his answer to his query and it had him become as solemn as a preacher. It was then that he decided to act before more people got hurt. He just had to figure out a few things and work up the courage to go back to a place that he didn't want to remember but did. He couldn't forget because of what happened there.

 _The room was low lit as they dragged him in. He refused to make it easy and tried to be more juvenile and biting at anything that came too close. He did manage to bite one of them on the arm and that earned him hit from the butt of a rifle in his lower back. It forced his legs to buckle and they hauled him roughly up and dragged him across the floor until they sat him against the wall and shackled his wrists to it. One of them punched him near the kidneys for good measure and it had him twist awkwardly in pain._

 _"You better start cooperating Lieutenant Michael otherwise another will die."_

 _He breathed heavily as he glared at the rag head. He may not have anything against his parents' people but he did have a beef with the extremists that thought they were morally superior by cutting the heads off of people that dared to go against them. He disliked those that decided that having an education or access to what the outside world offered and allowing others to decide what they think was acceptable. Certainly the parents of the girls were progressives._

 _They greeted him and the team with smiles. The little ones especially liked him despite the fact that he tried to keep his and his team's interactions to a minimum. Operating in the southern provinces was risky because of heavy Taliban presence and control. They were to gather intel while giving the impression that they were giving medical supplies and aid which coincided with the missionary group that was there providing medical aid and schooling for the girls on the side._

 _He heard the whimpers and he started trying to tug his wrists free from the wall. The door banged open and they came in dragging one of his team along with an apparatus that he clearly knew what it was for. He watched as they strapped his teammate, his comms specialist, to the apparatus leaving enough slack on the limbs. They brought in the battery and the jump cables. He pulled even harder at his restraints._

 _"Sykes, Bryan. 724936584."_

 _He clenched his teeth and his cheek muscles quivered in the anticipation of what was to come. His throat convulsed as he looked at his comms specialist reciting those three items. He was doing what they had been trained to do and what had been drilled into them in training and from their CO. It's what they all had been doing and it was always the same. He watched while they tortured them. He heard their screams and shouting out the only thing that had been saying._

 _The screams were more intense this time around. He watched as Bryan jerked from the voltage as the jumper cables touched the metal frame. He gritted his teeth and pulled forward, trying to get his wrists free. He must have said something because he got a couple of punches to the gut. Some hit his torso and he could hear the crack…_

Michael took a deep breath and shifted slightly. He winced from the pain in his lower back but he remained kneeling and looking out at the landscape. He swallowed slightly and took another deep breath. He looked over the neighborhood. He closed his eyes and then slowly opened them. His breathing slowed as he scanned the landscape and transposed what he remembered from his last deployment onto the neighborhood.

His ability to grid locations in his head and visually see it like one would see in a wireframe computer model was why his boss tapped him and used him. And it was what led him and his team to the point they were in. And now it seemed that it was coming back to pay him a visit tenfold. And it dragged his sister and best friend into it.

When he was with Rossi earlier, he had given the hint and he was certain that the man picked up on it. Reid had described the team to him and he had read Rossi's books. Pretty much all of them and made a few conclusions about how the man could think and could see why he and Gideon were among the best of the profilers. He could see why Reid admired them and why it hit pretty hard that Gideon just up and left the team after one killer practically destroyed what was left that kept the man together. Rossi seemed to be a good man from the time he actually met him.

Michael had an idea of what was going on the moment he receive confirmation that the terrorist group that they had come across did not come stateside. Maybe you could call it denial or he was overly optimistic to the possibility that someone heard a story and ended up twisting it to suit their purposes. In this case though… He shook his head as he looked outward and watched as what he remembered transposed on each other.

 _Boss, locals are confirming that the Taliban are massing to the west. Sounds like something big._

"And it turned out that they were massing for something big. And that was to capture us to reveal our deployment in the south," Michael muttered as he rested his forearm on his knees. He gritted his teeth as he adjusted his position.

The AARs, the after action reports, had the list of survivors. One being him and the other… Michael's cell phone rang. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled it out and checked the caller ID. Knowing who it was, he pressed the button to turn it on and pressed it to his ear, "Nassar."

Michael stared out at the landscape no longer seeing the neighborhood of Hyde Park but rather the landscape of the place he remembered in Afghan. He tracked the crime scenes and recalled details as he listened to the other end. He replied, "Same as the AARs. The unretracted ones."

He listened and his lip twitched as he tracked a memory that followed the track of the dumpsites and the abduction sites. He paused at the last one and looked downward searching for the memory. "I'm sure of it. I sent you my notes and the photos of the casefile."

Making a duck walked to the edge of the building and looked down and then out. He checked his watch and then at the scenes. The times of discovery and estimated length of time appeared over his mental map. All the little details from the case files that he snuck a look at and the details from Reid's mapping and his team's observations figured in as he listened to the usual that was going on the other end of the conversation.

Easing the tension on his back, Michael sat down and angled his legs over the edge. "It looks bad, sir. The BAU is here and they gave a profile and… I think they may include me in it."

The other end erupted in near cursing and threats to stupidity. Michael twitched his lip and gave a slight smile. It was nothing he hadn't heard before. It was why he and his CO got along well. He knew his boss was concerned about what was going on and his way of coping was to rant a little about it. His team thought the same and were content to let him take the brunt. They thought it amusing that the guy that had little to no social skills was the diplomatic one and the team leader whereas the guys that were good at it were the ones taking his orders.

"No, you don't need to send in anyone, sir. That will be bad for everything," Michael replied in response to what was being said. "There has already been enough of that. It was something that we missed in post assessment."

Michael listened a little bit more as he reached around and rubbed his lower back. He then brought his hand up and wiped the sweat forming on his brow. He answered the next set of questions, "I actually have a layout of the area, sir. Yes. I know where he'll be next." He paused as he listened and then replied, "I have the layout sir. I know the area."

It was automatic for Michael to stand up at the next part of the conversation. Besides, he was finished with his layout and ready to go. He listened to the other end of the conversation and his eyes widened ever so slightly. He said, "Sir, I already have a plan. No need to bring in resources. This will be local bust. Let it play out."

Michael pursed his lips at the voice at the other end. He almost wanted to chuckle since it was only worry but there was also confidence in the tone of voice. He nodded as he said, "It won't be a problem, sir. I know where he'll be. It will be done."

Ignoring the twinge in his lower back, he disconnected the phone. He stared out at the landscape once more before turning to head towards the stairs. He paused to pick up the equipment bag he had brought with him and heft it over his shoulder. As he was descending the stairs, he dialed another number on his cell and held the phone his ear. He waited until the other end picked up before saying, "Hey, it's me. I need you to do something for me."

The conversation was short and hardly sweet but he kept a gentle tone with the person on the other end. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the voice at the other end as he provided some reassurance, "I know it's not what should have been. I'll make it up to you. I love you."

He smiled at the reply before disconnecting. He stood beside his motorbike holding the cell phone in his hand and looked around. He had a mission now and one he had to complete before more lives were lost. If he was right, he had time to save Harrison and Kirby. Steeling his mind he picked up the helmet and put it on his head before straddling the bike. It was easy to start and take off and it wasn't like people were going to report him. A guy on a motorbike was nothing new.

Michael sped through the streets making sure not to attract attention from the local PD but also stressing the urgency to get to where he needed to go. It reminded him of one of the escort patrols his team conducted. The payout was extremely fragile but they had to transport in hurry and across the terrain that he had become intimate with along with the team. His second once joked that instead of knowing women, he knew terrain. All the peaks and valleys. It was enough to make him look confused but also blushed once he figured it out.

 _LT you really are the perfect soldier. You don't notice if they are a chick or not._

Michael snorted at the memory as he made a turn. His second was the one that socialized him more. He filled him in on the things that were more normal to people. He was also the one other person that he could confide in especially when it came to making command decisions when they were saddled with a mission. He was also the one that he confided his concerns when they were saddled with a rookie and there was little choice in the matter.

 _I was top in my class. I earned my right to be here._

 _The only reason you are here is because your father pulled clout. To be a part of this team, you have to earn your place, Grunt._

Michael adjusted his speed as he remembered that first day. He felt his throat convulse as he remembered that day and what happened afterwards. He shook his head as he wondered at the why. That was the universal question to every question man has asked about the known universe. It was the one that couldn't be answered. He pushed it aside as he turned down the street that took him where he needed to get to.

He spotted it and saw that it was going down. He sped up and came up to a skidding stop. He was off the bike and running in the direction where his suspect was struggling with his intended victim. He took off the helmet and dropped it off to the side and called out, "Wait!"

It was enough to startle the one he was looking for but he didn't loosen his grip on his victim. Michael approached them with his hands out to show that he was unarmed though he knew the guy wasn't stupid. Still it helped as he walked up, "You don't have to do this. I'm listening to you, Private Phillips."

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Mike is being caught in the cross-hairs of the investigation after being spotted on security footage. And it looks like he might have a plan after all and knows the unsub. Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Richard felt his head hit something as he was jostled awake. He winced and slowly opened his eyes. He found that he was lying on the floor. It was cold and wet. No surprise there since he had been doused with water. He winced as he tried to move and came up with pain all over. He winced and found that his hands were bound behind his back and he was no longer in the chair. He blinked.

A low moan caught his attention. Ignoring his pain. Richard rolled over to try and get to a better seated position. It was difficult since he couldn't use his hands for leverage and he was certain that he looked like a flopping fish trying to right himself up. He grunted more in frustration as he wriggled about on the floor.

He finally managed to get to a seated position by really focusing on doing an extreme abdominal crunch. It was a pain to do but he managed to get it done and was able to shift to look in the direction of the moaning. His eyes widened at what he saw when he finally managed to get into a good position to look.

Jessica was sagging from her restraints but it also looked like she was slumping over in defeat. Richard squinted and saw that her pants were half hanging on her hips, like someone forgot to button them. He swallowed grimly and pressed, "Kirby. Jessica. Hey."

Jessica heard the voice and winced slightly when she moved her head slightly. Her stomach hurt and she felt like she wanted to curl up into a ball. It hurt in her groin too and she clenched her thighs together to dull the ache. She slowly opened her eyes while trying to stifle the moan that wanted to escape from her lips. She took a couple of breaths before managing to turn her body to look at Richard.

Richard gave a slight smile and said encouragingly, "That's it. Good girl."

"I'm not a damn dog," Jessica muttered but allowed a small smile all the same. She took in the fact that Richard was on the ground and his limbs were tied behind his back.

"At least I got you talking, Kirby," Richard replied grinning. It was easy to slip back into the old banter as if he were back in his old unit and they were messing around. He knew a few gals that were in the unit and they were a fun bunch in the sense that they didn't take crap from anyone. "That's an important sign. How are you feeling?" He coughed a bit to clear his throat since it felt raspy and sniffed a bit.

"I've had better," Jessica replied as she slowly adjusted her position. She winced slightly from the pain she was feeling. "I feel like I was dumped out of a Humvee and down a steep incline."

"That's better than being electrocuted," Richard offered. He rotated his shoulders as best as he could but his hands were behind his back. He straightened up slightly and peered at Jessica. He stared at her for a moment before asking, "Are you okay? Did he… do anything?"

Jessica moaned slightly. She remembered her treatment clearly. She breathed out and replied, "No. But he kept hitting me on my thighs and pelvis." She frowned a little as she recalled that, "It was a little weird."

Richard frowned slightly at that. He was well aware that everything about this was weird. "I know. It's nothing like what I've heard of with POWs. I don't think the guy holding us is Taliban or terrorist. I think he's a regular guy."

"I got that thought too," Jessica replied as she tried to adjust her position. "But there was something…" She couldn't put her finger on it. "I don't know." She shook her head as she tried to reason out what was happening.

Richard made a sound as he tried to ease the soreness in his shoulders. "But he knows regs. Maybe he was one of us. I…"

The door opened and Richard and Jessica looked in the direction of the sound. Their captor entered looking very frustrated. They tensed slightly and watched since they weren't sure what he was going to do next. Richard was in a better position to do something but only if he could get to his feet. At the moment, he was toying with an idea and the more he thought about it as he watched their captor, the more it seemed to be logical to him. The downside would be that he would have to leave Jessica behind.

Having spent time in that place, Richard was able to see that he wouldn't be able to get her out. She was chained to her bindings and he didn't see anything he could use to break her free. Maybe try to pull it down but that could bring the roof on top of them and that wouldn't help anybody. The best he could do is try to get away and then get help from the police. He just had to make sure that their captor didn't suspect anything when he tried it.

Their captor was pacing furiously and muttering, "He should have seen it. They should have seen it. I sent it to them!"

Richard looked at Jessica and she shook her head slightly in confusion. Richard had been set in front of the camera and it was made to look like those livestream videos. It was very much like the public beheadings the terrorists did. And yet their captor didn't do that. Sure he was speaking in another language but Richard got the impression that it wasn't completely one language. He figured that since he had heard enough of Farsi, Arabic and Pashto being spoken when he was in country. He wasn't fluent but he knew basic words and was able to recognize a few of them.

That told him that their captor was someone who had been in country. He wouldn't classify him as a terrorist though. At least not in the traditional sense as defined by the government. He had the sense to know though that the man could be dangerous. Well he was since he had already killed three people and he had Richard and Jessica as hostages and tortured them.

Slowly Richard adjust his position to get to his feet. He shot a look at Jessica to telegraph what he was thinking of doing. She nodded and called out to their captor, "Hey, what do you want?"

Their captor ignored her so she looked around. There was nothing within reach to use as a weapon and she couldn't use her hands to do anything. Maybe… She tried again, "Hey… I'm really thirsty."

That caught their captor's attention. Richard watched as the guy looked at Jessica. He walked towards her, peering at her. Richard thought he was at least going to be nice to her because she was asking. Still, he knew better than to waste time. He tried getting to his feet as well as he could without making noise. It was difficult because his hands were tied behind his back and he had to be quick since his captor could turn around any second and the impromptu plan could be shot to hell and go FUBAR fast.

Jessica tried to keep their captive's attention by insisting that she needed water. It probably would work since this guy wasn't acting like some of the terrorists that she had come across. He seemed a bit more humane on some things and she was going to exploit it if it would help get them out of there. She prompted, "Please. I really need a drink of water."

Their captor approached her with a raised brow and peered at her. Richard thought for sure he wasn't going to bite. He had managed to get to his feet but the knot tying his hands was making it difficult to get his hands free. He twisted his wrists but only caused rope burn on them. It looked like he was running out of time. He did when their captor said something that didn't sound good and there was no indication that he was going to get Jessica her requested water.

It was a spur of the moment thing. Richard charged their captor and drove his shoulder into his gut. It was probably a stupid thing to do but it was the only thing he could do and he had their captor in a surprise long enough to knock him into Jessica. She used her legs to grab him and wrap them around their captive's body. She shouted, "Go!"

Richard was hesitant but Jessica shouted at him to run. He made as slight sound and made his way to the only exit in the room. He clambered up the stairs with his hands tied behind his back. He found himself in a large room and it was full of old furniture and other odds and ends. Richard panted as he looked wildly for an exit. Finding one, he headed towards it, trying to gain momentum and make it outside.

He was barely to the door when he was tackled from behind. He fell to the ground with a grunt and the extra weight on his arms pinned him. He tried to roll over but it wasn't in the cards. His captor pressed down on his back and delivered a punch near his kidneys in his lower back. He grunted out in pain and his forehead smacked the ground as he heard his captor speak in Pashto. He replied, "I don't speak Pashto."

His captor kept saying something as Richard was hauled to his feet. He struggled some more and got a couple more punches to his body and face all the while he was being shouted at by his captor in Pashto. He was dragged back to the room and along the way he was thrown into whatever it was littering the room. Richard grunted as he struggled to try and get away until he was slammed into the wall.

It was enough to stun him and his resistance crumbled. Feeling winded and sore all over, Richard found himself dragged back down towards the room where he and Jessica were kept. He had nothing to protect himself as he was thrown down the stairs and he landed hard on his shoulder. He growled out in pain and managed to roll over onto his back. He stared up to find the light blaring down on him as he arched his back to ease the throbbing.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Richard moaned and tried to look in the direction the voice was coming from. "What?"

His captor came into his field of vision and repeated, "You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have defied them. Give them what they want." He turned away and muttered, "Give them what they want, Archangel."

Richard managed to prop himself up awkwardly since he was still tied. He maneuvered to try and find Jessica. He winced when he saw her dangling from her bonds. She was sporting a new welt on her face and some blood was dripping out of the corner of her mouth. He grimaced and said, "Come one. Just let us go."

"No! No," their captor replied as he got into Richard's face. He painted a warning finger.

Richard could see the sort of crazed look in the man's eyes. He tried again, "Please. We did nothing to you."

"We did everything. We went. We fought. Played nice and this is how they repay us." Their captor got to his feet. He grabbed Richard by his bad shoulder and dragged him to the far wall. He grabbed some rope along the way. Once there he tossed Richard against the wall. "Making nice was a good cover. Told us what we needed to know. Damn Archangel couldn't tell them what they wanted to know."

Richard blinked as he listened to their captor mutter angrily. He winced slightly and struggled when his legs were tied together and in a manner so he wouldn't get away. He managed to get out, "You know that soldiers have a duty."

Their captor straightened up and looked at Richard. He then said something in Pashto and Richard groaned in frustration. He caught a few words, some he knew because it was hard not to know them. It was then repeated in English, "The infidel should have told them. Then they all wouldn't have had to die. They should have said something. Now another will have to suffer and eventually… you all will die."

Richard struggled to appeal to their captor, "Wait. You don't have to. You sent the video right? You told them your demands." He decided to play to the scenario. If it helped, then so be it.

"America doesn't negotiate with terrorists," the captor replied. "They left us. We could have gotten free. We all died." He then turned and left muttering, "He will see it. He will see and know who it is coming for him."

Richard groaned when their captor disappeared. He leaned against the wall and growled in frustration. Now someone else was going to get taken and then this Archangel… This was getting way too out of control. He leaned against the wall and looked upwards and sighed. He prayed that someone, the police, someone would figure out what was going on. He took a couple of breaths as he sat alone in the dark, listening to Jessica's soft moans of pain. One thing he could say, the torture stopped. The question was for how long?

~0~0~0~0~0~

Hotchner was once a prosecutor. He knew what it looked like when you had evidence that was pretty clear even if it was circumstantial. It was even harder when the evidence pointed at someone that you knew tentatively and from the word of a colleague and an initial assessment. And it didn't help that the lead detective on the case openly acknowledged the possibility but didn't believe in the evidence.

The security footage was not looking good for Reid's friend. It didn't necessarily point to him as the unsub but given what he knew and what he had, he asked a couple of detectives working on the case for additional information. He hated that he was going behind the lead detective's back but given the circumstances, he thought it to be best. They had to do it sometimes especially when it appeared that a detective was getting too close to a case.

It was a delicate situation when doing that. In the old days the FBI used to ride roughshod over local law enforcement when they took over. That caused a lot of tension between federal and local law enforcement. Now it was a lot of treading softly since it was a matter of jurisdiction and if they offended the locals, then it would spread to other jurisdictions and they wouldn't ask the BAU to help. So he was circumspect in his requests as best as he could and asked Garcia to look into a few things.

"Agent Hotchner."

Hotchner turned to see a detective he had requested help from, "Yes, Detective Baker?"

"I followed up on your request regarding your person of interest," Baker continued, "And I found that on the nights our victims were taken, he was in these areas." He pointed on the map. "We talked to the witnesses there and they confirmed he was there."

Hotchner looked at the report. It was definitely not looking good. He was going to have to address this with Sophia. She was going to have to let someone else take the lead or back off. He turned away after thanking the detective and continued to study what he had. He looked up to see Sophia coming in with another detective and he was handing her a file. At that moment Morgan and Emily had come back from the scene. There was no sign of Rossi or Reid yet and maybe that was a good thing and he was certain that he was going to have to pull Reid off the case because of conflict of interest even though Reid asked his friend for help.

"Hotch," Morgan said as he entered the conference room, "Emily and I checked with the clerk and… Reid's friend was there. Garcia is cleaning up the footage to get a tracking of his movements. And from the timing of movements… it looks like he's our suspect."

Hotchner looked at Morgan as he pieced together his thoughts. He glanced at Emily who was looking stressed about the whole thing. It was unusual for her and he had every reason to be concerned. He asked, "Prentiss? Thoughts?"

Emily had been thinking about what she and Morgan had found and what she had learned from Ortega. He had seemed neutral in regards to his assessment of Reid's friend but he was loyal to Sophia as his supervisor. In fact, he seemed to go out of his way to show her that what Sophia did was not a bad thing and that Michael wasn't a bad person. She replied, "Well, it could be coincidence. I mean…" She made a slight face.

Hotchner turned his eyes to Morgan and he shook his head and pointed out, "What would we do if it were anyone else who fits the profile?"

Hotchner knew that Morgan was right but he did have his doubts on some things. "We'll bring him in to ask questions and confirm alibi. Detective Baker just gave me this. It seems that were the abductions took place, he was in the same area."

"Then he's gotta be the unsub," Morgan pointed out. "He's a high functioning genius. Reid admitted that he can map an entire area and recall details long after the buildings are gone. He's lived her growing up." He shook his head and sighed, "Your call though."

Hotchner looked up and noticed Sophia looking at them. She was holding a case file folder and she was thumbing it. He knew she had given him a bit out of the spirit of cooperation and the fact that she was well aware how it would look. He looked at Morgan and Emily and said, "Coordinate with the locals to bring him in for questioning. I'm going to talk to Detective Langston."

It was a little unusual but Morgan and Emily understood. While they had to treat it like they would any other case, there were circumstances that would have them tread lightly. The most obvious was the fact that it was Reid's friend. The problem was that Reid hadn't told them about him until they asked and that started when Reid called his friend to ask for help. It certainly gave the thought that because Reid called, it made him cautious and starting to watch the investigation more carefully. They had seen that before. In either case, this needed a diplomatic touch.

Hotchner was well aware of that scenario as he called out to Sophia, "Detective Langston, can I have a word?"

Sophia excused herself, "Ortega, follow up on those leads surrounding Jessica Kirby's abduction and re-interview Marie Ross. Go over the details of her setting up her interviews through the VA." She left the case files with Ortega and joined Hotchner in the conference room. "Agent Hotchner, please tell me you have some leads."

"I do but you're not going to like it," Hotchner replied without beating around the bush.

"Let me guess, you want to bring in my brother as a suspect."

Hotchner gave a piercing look at her, "You knew that it was a possibility. You even admitted a few characteristics and then some of the profile."

"Only because I knew you would jump to it the moment you really started looking at things," Sophia explained after she sighed. She put her hands on her hips. "What do you have that makes you suspect?"

"You mentioned as well as Reid that he can recall details of areas he has been with precision even if something has been altered. Indicates he has vast knowledge of the neighborhood."

"Of course he would considering that he spent most of his time running away from people trying to torment him." Sophia looked at Hotchner, keeping her temper in check. She knew that he was making a point but she had equally valid points as well. "And it was one of the few things that would temper the images that circled in his head ranging from the mechanics of a vehicle to how a furnace works."

"Langston, he was seen in the vicinity of each of the abductions. We have him on surveillance exiting the store just when Jessica Kirby was abducted and your detectives uncovered similar sightings." Hotchner held the report so Sophia could see it.

Sophia looked at the report and noted the locations. They coincided with the times that Michael had taken off citing a need to go out. She never thought much of it since he did that when they were kids. He would go out at all hours and come back often with the solution to a particular math problem or relieved because no one could find him. She replied, "And I could cite it as coincidence. Mike's frequented these places frequently while we were growing up. When he would come home on R&R he would go there. It's one of those things to reconnect. It's normal for him."

"Hardly so considering that he specifically told Rossi that it was like Kandahar and you seemed very concerned about it," Hotchner countered with a piercing look.

"As well as I should," Sophia replied, "It was his last deployment and why he is home. He was injured." She looked at Hotchner's notes and asked, "Which detective gave you this?"

"Why does it matter?"

"It matters if there is an ax to grind," Sophia replied. "Who gave this to you?"

Hotchner took in the expression that Sophia was giving him. It had him suspicious about a few things and let out, "Baker."

Sophia heard the name and couldn't resist sighing. She couldn't blame Hotchner since he didn't know the detectives like she did. She could tell that he was seeing bias and maybe it was but even as kids, she didn't protect Michael if it was serious wrongdoing. He got that if he broke the law, he would be punished though that seemed to have gone into shades of grey in his line of work but his morality was there and he carried guilt and responsibility like Atlas did with the weight of the world. She replied, "Baker is a good cop…"

"But…?"

Sophia sighed, "He nurses a grudge particularly against Michael. It goes back to when they were in school." She pursed her lips, knowing that Hotchner needed a full story. She continued, "Baker blames Mike for the fact that Mike uncovered the point shaving scam that he and a few team members were involved with. Mike's fascination of numbers led him to the discrepancies and he reported it."

"And you didn't think to tell us this?"

"Baker is a good cop. He has tunnel vision and even more so because Mike pulled a section 8 on his brother in boot," Sophia continued. "I warned Baker and kept my eye on him and I was assuming that he would toe the line." She sighed looking down and added, "If Baker brought it to you, confirm it. I know he's a good cop but he has made it clear that he wants to bring Mike down for something."

"And you'd think he'd fabricate evidence?"

"No. Hide pieces maybe to make it look worse than it is." Sophia looked at Hotchner. "Agent Hotchner, I told you about my brother and his tendencies. I have implied that I will bring him in if you think he is a viable suspect. Mike and I both know that just because we do what we do, no free rides or get out of jail free cards. But I will say this: If Michael is involved then it more than likely will be because he crossed paths with him at some point and their behaviors are similar but Mike will stand out because of who he is."

Hotchner studied the detective and was going to say something. At that moment, Ortega came in with Emily saying, "Hotch."

Looking at Sophia he murmured, "I think it may be a mistake letting you stay lead but… I'll go with it for now."

"Do what you have to do. We are on the same side," Sophia said. There was nothing more she could do. The rest would have to come from the FBI and her brother. She turned to address her detective and Emily, "What's going on?"

"Sophie," Ortega replied. He then cleared his throat for the slip but there was really no time to quibble over formalities. He continued, "There is something that you need to see. You too Agent Hotchner." He gave a look of urgency.

"Take it over there," Sophia pointed at a computer tucked in the corner.

Ortega nodded and walked over and turned on the screen. He navigated to his email. "This was sent to me and you since you are the lead, Sophie." He waited until Hotchner, Morgan and Emily were huddled around.

Morgan was on his cell phone telling Garcia analyze the email and try to trace it. When he gave the go ahead, Ortega clicked on the link and said, "Looks like it was recent."

The group watched as they saw Richard Harrison tied to a chair looking pretty beat up but alive. Their unsub was walking and speaking in a foreign language and he was holding what looked to be a machete. It seemed pretty clear what was going on as they watched him gesture at Richard and threatening to cut off his head. It was hard not to wince when Richard cried out in pain when the unsub gave a pretty deep cut to his arms.

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Richard tries to escape but fails. Hotchner and Sophia have words and looks like the unsub is reaching out. Stay tuned for more Heart-Blood Cement...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Sophia studied the images and took a couple of silent and deep breaths. She asked, "Did the techs find anything in the metadata and all that?"

"I sent them the link to try and find an IP address or something. Haven't gotten back to me," Ortega replied.

Hotchner looked at the images. He watched the unsub, particularly the body language and listened to what he was saying. He asked, "Prentiss, do you know what he's saying?"

Emily was listening to the dialogue. It was nothing that she was familiar with and she was fluent in Arabic. She shook her head, "I'm hearing Arabic but it's like it is mashed with another language."

"I can hear Pashto," Sophia said. When the agents looked at her she said, "My mother and my father's parents are from Afghan. Grew up learning it but…" She frowned as she thought about it and turned away.

Hotchner saw it and gave orders to Morgan to have Garcia trace the video. He caught up with Sophia and pulled her aside, "What are you not saying, Sophia?"

Sophia had to think about a few things. As much as it was tempting to hide the truth, she had to tell Hotchner. She turned to look at the agent, "It sounds like something Mike and I used to do when we were kids. We would take primarily Arabic, Farsi and Pashto and mash them together. It was our own language of a sorts. We grew out of it and Mike's fascination with math took over."

"Is there…"

Sophia shook her head, "No. Mike wouldn't teach anyone that. It was childlike. This sounds more like an adult." She gestured at the video.

Hotchner considered that but being in the position he was in, he had to say it, "And this is looking bad. I'm going to have to bring him in."

"I know that. But I am telling you that," Sophia gestured at the screen, "Is not my brother. As his sister and as a detective, I am not convinced. But we asked you for help. You are giving it and we will follow through." She straightened up and took a couple of breaths. "I don't agree with your conclusion but I do agree that there is someone killing people and we need them off the streets."

Hotchner studied the detective and nodded. "Alright."

Sophia nodded in return, "I'll be following up on other leads. If you want, I can call my brother and tell him to come in."

"If you can, please do. It is better he comes in of his own free will." Hotchner looked around the room and out to where the other detectives and officers were working. He wasn't liking this but they had to play it by the book. "Will he…"

"Resist? No. Protest maybe but he's not stupid." Sophia paused a moment and thought of something. She cleared her throat and then asked, "And what about Spencer? Mike is his best friend and I doubt things will go well."

That was a fair point. Hotchner considered the possibilities but he knew Reid. He would follow orders even if he didn't agree with them and considering what he had been through the past year. He looked at Sophia and saw that she was not willing to tell a lie. "I'll handle it."

Sophia nodded at that since Reid was his agent. She had to add, "A word of advice. Don't hide it from him. You should tell him."

Hotchner would have said something but at that moment Reid and Rossi had come back. They had to be briefed in on the latest the unsub gave them and what they found. That meant going into what he and Sophia had been discussing. He gave a parting nod to Sophia and went to go greet them.

Sophia watched as Hotchner went to go tell Reid what was going on. She knew that there was going to be serious fall out with this. The best to do was to get ahead. She called, "Ortega."

Ortega was there quickly, "What is it?"

"Call my brother. Tell him to come into the station. If you have to give a reason, explain." She looked at her right hand man. "He won't run."

"I know that Sophie. If anything the guy is like a moral compass. Hard to believe that he was fighting in Afghanistan." Ortega nodded as he pulled out his phone. "Anyone else?"

Sophia looked at Hotchner. It was a silent gesture indicating that he and his team would have the lead on this but she was also showing that she would step in if she thought he was out of line. The problem was that she was starting to have second thoughts and was well aware of the unasked question that no doubt she would be asked at some point. "Later," she said, making the decision.

Hotchner watched as she walked to sit at one of the tables in the conference room and think things through. He didn't like the situation any more than she did but they wouldn't be doing their due diligence if they let this slide. He remembered Gideon's assessment of Michael and one particular element disturbed him. It was the part that listed a slight tendency as a sociopath. Most unsubs they had come across were sociopaths or psychopaths so it was a bit alarming.

At that moment, Reid and Rossi came back. Hotchner kept a stony face, not betraying what he was thinking or feeling. He was going to have to handle this as delicately as well as be the team leader on this. He pursed his lips just as Rossi and Reid entered into the conference room. Rossi said, "We spoke to Marie Ross and she initially met all the victims at the local VA. Her interviews were done in public places. More likely our unsub has been stalking them."

In the meantime, Reid approached Sophia and asked, "Everything okay, Sophie?"

Sophia looked up at Reid. She gave a slight smile, "The usual, Spencer. And this case hits a bit close to home."

"Because of Mike?"

"Pretty much." Sophia pursed her lips. She knew he had been to the house. There was no way he would have missed the obvious. "You saw the old man didn't you?"

"That obvious?"

"Please. You have the same look you did when I first introduced you. I can't believe Mike talked you into spending your breaks here." Sophia gave a teasing look. She had enjoyed it that her brother had a friend he felt comfortable bringing to their house. "I know how Dad was with the both of you."

Reid gave a rather sheepish grin at that as he shoved his hands into his pockets. His lip twitched as he replied, "He wasn't that bad. In fact, he wasn't alone like I thought." He frowned slightly as he continued, "I didn't know that… Mike was married. When did that happen?"

"What do you think?" Sophia gave a wry smile at Reid. It was her way of challenging her brother and him to figure out certain things that happened to the family that would have been good news.

Reid thought about it a little and frowned as he replied, "Well, when he was last in DC to see me, he told me about someone he had met and was actually flirting. Had me laugh since it had been awhile since he actually flirted with girls."

"One of the few things he was good at," Sophie nodded in agreement. "Of course it was more along the lines of you impressing the girls with your physics magic." She sat back and looked at Reid and smiled and stated more that asked, "You met Sarai."

Reid nodded, feeling the blush creep up the back of his neck. He made a slight face as he replied, "Yeah. She's… she's beautiful."

He had been stunned to see her at the door. She was like out of those classic oriental pictures from the 1930s. Her eyes were dark and inquisitive, showing intelligence. Her hair was long and dark and her skin was olive toned. She also had a pleasant voice when she asked if she could help him and Rossi. She was the one that led him and Rossi into the living room and announced their presence to the elder Nassar.

It was Rossi that asked how she knew the Nassar family and it was Michael's father that said she was his new daughter. It was then that she said Michael was her husband and showed the wedding band on her hand. It had him nearly speechless and trying to figure out how it happened. To be honest, he never thought that Michael would ever get married. His best friend was actually afraid of close relationships like that and he admitted that he just didn't know when to shut up sometimes.

Sarai, he thought, was perfect for his best friend. She travelled herself and spent her days helping people in other countries that needed it. She told them of her missionary doctor's work in Afghanistan and that was how she and Michael met. She then turned it onto him and Rossi saying that she had started reading Rossi's books and that he was not exactly what the biography said and that he was better. She then turned the tables on Reid stating that he was exactly how Michael described him and could see why he and Michael were friends.

It turned into more like a visit rather than an inquiry with Sarai serving tea and commenting that what was happening was awful. Reid remembered her being oddly thoughtful about it. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was similar to someone who had experienced some sort of trauma. It was gone the moment her cell phone rang and excused herself. He and Rossi finished their discussion with the elder Nassar and left to head back to the station. Rossi joked with him a little, teasing him about the people he picked as friends.

Sophia grinned at Reid as he tried to find the words he wanted to find to add to his assertion. She teased, "Yeah, Mike looked like that too when he found her." She knew that it was joke since she wasn't there but she knew her brother.

Reid cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "I just… didn't think that he would."

"Well, you know Mike," Sophia replied with a slight shrug. "Probably better than anyone. He trusts you more than anybody." She looked at Reid with a pointed look.

Reid looked at Sophia and the pointed look she was giving him. "You know that's not true, Sophie," he said quietly. His brow contorted into a frown, not quite sure of what she was getting at. "You did everything you could for him. You… understood him."

"And maybe that isn't enough," Sophia replied softly.

Reid frowned at that. His gaze then shifted to the case file she was looking at. He saw that they were surveillance photos. He studied them and noted the timestamps. He looked at them and then at Sophia. "Sophie?"

"You know by what you see, Spencer. Certainty is what you operate on," Sophia replied. "Know what you are certain of. Just as I am certain of what I know about my brother." She gave a slight smile and added, "I told Mike that the only thing certain about humanity is the uncertainty."

Reid looked at Sophia. It hit him what was going on. He looked at the surveillance photos and then at her again. He took a step back and shook his head slightly. His throat convulsed slightly as he took a breath, "What are you saying, Sophie?"

"You know the answer, Spencer," she replied, "And know that I don't like it either, but…" She looked down and then back up to finish, "Mike is going to be prime suspect in this case. The evidence will be stacked against him. Habits are is undoing but it's the only thing that keeps his life stable. You know that."

"He likes order," Reid replied trying to keep his emotions in check. "Even though he gave the impression of a jock, everything was in order. Everything was done in a routine."

"Which is why you need to make sure they know that."

Sophia would have said more but Hotchner called Reid over. He looked at Sophia and she nodded, standing to join them. There still had to be cooperation between the FBI and local law enforcement. He pursed his lips as he stood near Rossi and Morgan while Sophia took position on the opposite side. She stood near Emily and gave a slight sigh as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Hotchner.

Hotchner looked at the team that gathered and then at Sophia. He knew she would have said something to Reid and maybe he should have called Reid over the moment he had gotten back but it would have seemed out of ordinary. He would have to prepare for whatever Reid would do. He sighed, "Alright, we have someone who may be a suspect. Michael Nassar. He's been spotted in the vicinity of all the abductions, most recently the mart where Jessica Kirby was abducted. Detective Langston has already handed this off to her second. Morgan, take Reid…"

"No."

Hotchner turned to look at Reid, "Excuse me?"

"No," Reid replied with a slight shake of his head. He looked at Hotchner and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going help on this."

"Reid," Hotchner began.

"I am not helping you bring in Mike. Because he is not the unsub."

Hotchner narrowed his eyes at Reid. This was a first since Reid's downslide with his addiction. The youngest agent had been snappish but never outright defiant. He was prepared to order Reid and give a warning when a knock came on the door. He looked up to see Detective Ortega peeking in. "Yes?"

"Sorry but…" Ortega came in holding up a casefile, "But we've got a situation. Another kidnapping and it's…" He closed his mouth and stared at the team.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The scene looked like a fight had taken place. There was blood on the pavement, obvious signs of a struggle. The contents of a purse were scattered all over the area near the car. The driver side door was opened. The ambulance was parked outside the tape and the paramedics were treating the woman that was sitting on the edge. She looked relatively unhurt except for a few abrasions on her forehead.

Morgan looked at the scene and at Sophia as she was interviewing the victim. He looked at the items scattered and then up at the building. The victim had been shopping and was getting into her car to go home when she was abducted. But something happened and she wasn't taken and in fact the only injuries she sustained were a bump to the head and a couple of scrapes and bruises. He walked up towards the victim and was met by Sophia. He looked at the detective and noted the somber look while asking, "Well?"

"Her name is Karen Wilson, just home from deployment. Not in Afghanistan though and she was Navy."

"Navy?" Morgan frowned at that, "But the others were army."

"I know." Sophia pursed her lips and looked at the scene. She studied the scene, looking at the scattered items on the ground and her eyes lit on the blood. She watched as the techs gathered their samples.

Morgan watched her and put a hand to her shoulder, "Stay with me, Langston."

"I'm with you," Sophia replied as she looked at Morgan. She straightened up and rattled off in a precise and clinical manner, "Karen Wilson was just shopping and getting into her car when she said that a man wearing a keffiyeh around his head came up to her and grabbed her. She fought but he had a gun and dragged her towards a van."

"Sounds like the other abductions," Morgan confirmed but was still frowning. "But she got away. What was different?" He looked at Sophia.

"Victim says that someone came up riding on a motorbike and stopped him. That he offered to take the place of the girl."

Morgan looked at Sophia. That said that someone knew what was going on and did what they could to save someone but at the expense of probably their own life. He shook his head. It didn't make sense. The person who took the girl's place had to have known that they would be heading into a place that could mean the end of their life. "It doesn't make sense."

Sophia looked at the scene. She took a deep breathe. It did make sense and to one person. But she didn't think that he would be that reckless. "I know," she replied. "And I don't like the idea of a Good Samaritan paying the price for someone's delusion or whatever you call it. Excuse me."

Morgan watched as Sophia pulled out her phone to make a phone call. He turned to look at the scene just as Emily walked up. He repeated his earlier assessment, "This doesn't make any sense. Someone walks in on the unsub taking another victim and offers to take their place?"

"I know," Emily replied, "I talked to the store owner and they are getting surveillance footage." She turned to look at the store. "Unfortunately, it is a little too far away for anyone to see anything. So I don't know how much good that will be."

Morgan had to agree with that. He looked around until he spotted something that could be of help to this particular abduction. He said, "Maybe not the store but I think I got something else." He pulled out his phone to call Garcia, "Hey Mama. I need you to do something for me. I need you to pull up the street camera footage of where the latest abduction is."

Emily walked around as Morgan talked to Garcia with their usual flirty banter. She couldn't help but smile at it. It was a unique relationship that made the team unique and it had her thinking about Reid's relationship with Michael Nassar. That was unique as well. She felt bad that Reid was going to get reprimanded by Hotchner for his refusal to do the job but she could understand and she didn't blame him. This case was just not like normal.

Emily walked along the crime scene and paused. She knew that according to the victim, she was rescued by someone who came on a motorbike. They came rounding the corner at a fairly high speed and basically skidded to a stop and told the unsub to stop what he was doing and that he would go with him. She was still too high strung to give details on who it was that rescued her and the events that followed with the rescuer being substituted. She found that a bit unusual since she was a soldier and had been in a combat situation. Then again she wouldn't have expected to be assaulted and attempted kidnapping in a place that was far from what she saw.

Looking around, she studied the skidding on the ground. So far the story added up but there was something about the pattern that had her baffled. It was a controlled skid though. That told her that the operator knew how to ride and probably did it as a recreational sport. But that kind of move would create abrasions even if the driver knew what he was doing. That could account for the blood but that looked more like from a head wound meaning someone got hit upside the head since they tend to bleed a lot. Was it more than someone spotting a crime in progress and then deciding to do the right thing?

Emily walked along until she came across the motorbike. She looked at the scene and something didn't make sense. She frowned at the position of the bike compared to where the victim had been assaulted. Judging from the skid marks, it looked like the rescuer stopped short. She had an idea but even that sounded like something out of an action movie. She waited until Morgan finished his phone conversation with Garcia before speaking, "Morgan, take a look at this."

Morgan closed his phone and stepped forward to look at what Emily was looking at. "What do you have?" He looked at what she was gesturing at and frowned. He raised a brow at her, "The skid marks?"

"Look at them," Emily prompted. "Look at the relative position of the skid marks, the bike and the distance to where the victim was."

Morgan looked at the skid marks and then the rest of the scene. He looked at the positions the crime scene unit marked. It then became clear, "Is it just me or did our Good Samaritan stop short and let the bike skid the rest of the way?"

"My thoughts exactly," Emily confirmed. She gestured at the skid marks. "I've seen a couple of stunt drivers but this…"

"If he hopped off mid skid… That would leave some serious injury of sorts to the driver and he still managed to prevent the victim from being taken." Morgan looked at Emily and asked, "Who would do that? Were we wrong about Reid's friend?"

"I don't know," Emily shrugged, "He's still unaccounted for." She cleared her throat, "Did Garcia find anything from the street cameras?"

Before Morgan could answer, his phone rang. He smiled, "Speak of the devil." He flipped open his phone and said, "What do you have for me Mama? You're on speaker phone."

 _Okay so I managed to pull all the traffic camera footage from where the latest victim was almost abducted and it was like watching an Evel Knievel stunt show. I mean this guy literally flew off his bike and stops the guy. I sent it to you._

"Thanks, Mama."

 _Wait, one thing you should know. The guy who saved our latest victim… It's Michael Nassar._

There was a pregnant pause before Morgan thanked Garcia for her work. He and Emily made it back to the station to view the footage that had been pulled for the Austin PD. Morgan stood nearby to watch Sophia as the team watched the footage. He frowned slightly as he watched the detective eye the footage and she looked worried. He had seen that look before on people who had relatives or people they were closed to that were kidnapped or killed.

The video showed what Emily thought was strange and highly unlikely. The motorcyclist was speeding in and leaped off of the bike as it was skidding to a stop. Morgan blinked at the movements. Reid's friend's movements were controlled but you could see the urgency there. It was obvious that it had to have hurt to execute that but it was the last thing on his mind when he walked up towards the unsub. He asked for it to freeze when he saw something. He pointed, "Look at that. Do you guys see that?"

Rossi looked at the image that was frozen. He had seen it played at normal speed and he had to admit that it really dispelled what initially they thought of Reid's friend. He personally didn't think that he was the unsub but he couldn't let personal bias affect the case. They had to trust in the profile. That was what he was always telling the others. However, with Reid's outburst and insistence that his friend wasn't who they were looking for, he had his doubts.

Focusing on what Morgan was pointing out, he voiced what they were seeing, "He's familiar with the unsub." He looked at the team, "He knows who it is."

"He does," a voice entered from the door to the conference room, forcing the team to turn to the source of the voice.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well there's a twist for ya. Now who is at the door? Stay tuned for next time on Heart-Blood Cement...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Michael winced as he tried to move his limbs. His arms had fallen asleep from the position that he had been tied into. He swallowed slightly and tried to control his breathing since the position brought him back to a time that he was trying to push past. He couldn't forget it. Blame it on his genius memory since he rarely forgot anything.

It was the right thing to do. He knew where Phillips was going to be and he had to get there before anyone else got hurt. He knew what this was about. He just hoped that what he set in motion would be enough for the FBI to do what they needed to do to get the guy and get Phillips help. That was if he was going to allow it.

A sharp turn jarred Michael and his body rolled until he was pressing slightly on his hands. He felt the dull throbbing pain in his lower back. He gritted his teeth as his hands seemed to dig into his lower back. He was really starting to regret not taking the pain killers but he was a stubborn mule. He could handle it. Yeah right.

And it seemed like a good idea at the time to jump of mid skid and do a hop run. Michael could argue with himself that it was a sense of urgency but in the end he was being stupid. For a guy who is considered a genius, he did some stupid things. Some of them other people thought were stupid. Like his quitting a promising law career after six months and then upping and joining the army. Sophia certainly thought that and called it the dumbest move he ever made.

Michael sucked in a breath to ride out the throbbing and pressed his temple to the floor of the van. He thought about things that led to this point but mostly back to the last deployment. He let out a small sigh as the trip and jolting reminded him of what this was all about. He took a couple of deep breaths trying to ride out the pain and what he was going to do with his next move.

Their cover was relief effort. It was pretty simple but risky. The southern provinces were still under Taliban control and they were particularly vindictive against westerners. It was particularly dangerous for American women. There was no shortage of news on the killing of Americans and the abuse hurled at women. It was enough to make Michael's blood boil since he had been brought up to respect women and he really didn't like what seemed to be a cultural norm of accepting that it was okay to dehumanize women. He didn't tolerate the wolf whistles and toed a fine line with the comments with his men.

His men learned quickly what he found acceptable and what he didn't and kept the dirty comments to themselves. They teased him about being a gentleman but they liked and trusted him. Before that last one they had already been on several missions together. It was to the point where they could joke around and they knew when they had gone too far. They were that tight knot and it made it possible to do the task that they were assigned to do, even with the new guy that had been assigned to them only a week before.

Michael didn't have anything against Phillips joining but he found it odd that the private had been assigned when he was. He had the jacket and read it thoroughly and knew that Phillips was the son of a congressman. He knew and the team knew and they gave him a hard time. Michael though tried to help and explained that he was going to have to work twice as hard as the others to be accepted. And thinking about it now, he probably could have gone over it a little better.

Their task was to gain intel and map out the area. They had information of a large Taliban group that was mobilizing and that there was a probable attack. Unfortunately, there were no solid leads and other teams that had gone in were unsuccessful. Then they got the call to go in. The reason for that was that they were able to bring the possible to the impossible. They were warned that it was going in for a duration.

It wasn't undercover but even then the job wasn't exactly honest. Michael hadn't told the truth to Sarai. She had been working as a missionary doctor and servicing the women and children. It was a miracle that the Taliban hadn't shut them down but then again they weren't stupid. Getting medical care was one of those things that you couldn't find fault with and Sarai observed customs by wearing hijab and she spoke the language. The thing that terrified him the most was the fact that she also helped with the girl's school that had been taught in secret.

Educating girls in that part of the world was a major battlefield. There were some Afghanis that believed in progress, but that was mostly centered in the northern provinces and even then there were those that disagreed. He had seen the reports of female students being harassed. The southern provinces… it was risking your life every day. If he had to do a comparison, it was like when desegregation was starting to get out of the way. He found about her activities when he observed one of the girls Sarai was doing a check up on addressed her in the manner one did to a teacher.

The op went well the first couple of months. The intel they gathered got them postings of smaller groups but the one they were looking for was still illusive. And it wasn't long before they were found out. It was supposed to a routine delivery to the clinic. They had medical supplies and his guys were giving out treats to the kids. It sounded cheesy but the whole motto of winning the hearts of the people one chocolate bar at a time actually worked. They were ambushed and the village was under attack. Michael could remember the explosions, the gunfire, everything.

A thump distracted Michael and his temple banged on the floor of the van. He gritted his teeth and looked up. He could see the driver and studied the profile. He shifted and tried to get a glimpse out of the window. He couldn't get to a position to stand or do anything and the throbbing in his back hurt greatly. He shifted his gaze to look out the window and try to keep track of what was going by. This was really going to put his mental map to the test.

Michael had figured out what was going on starting the moment he got Reid's phone call. He found it odd since he always had an ear to the chatter. It was why his boss liked him so much. Even when he was supposed to be on R&R, he still worked. He had an army-issued laptop that he kept a close eye on and worked on when he wasn't around family. With this case, he tried to stay out of it and be casual and was successful to the point that his sister didn't know that he had made discrete inquiries into the case.

It became clear that it was Phillips once he uncovered that he had been sent to R&R here in Austin. It had Michael think about what he recalled from the private's jacket. He originally was from Alabama, so it was confusing as to why he picked to go to Austin. The fact that his former teammate was there gave the possibility that it was linked to revenge. It was probably a longshot after all the investigation and the inquiries coming up, but Michael had calculated the probability and he had been an operator long enough to not disregard anything no matter how small.

Thinking about it now, he probably could have done a few things differently. But a small part of him wanted to make sure that he had the right guy. Maybe it was a bit of his self-confidence eroding, he wasn't sure. What he did know was that he was right and it was one of those moments he disliked being right. He knew where Phillips was going to be next; the curse of having a good memory. He figured out that the abductions were coordinated at the same distances as the actual events. When he made his mental map, it all became clear.

The van hit a speed bump or something. It sent Michael into the air and he landed on his hands and they dug into his lower back. He couldn't hold back in the grunt of pain. He bit his lower lip to try and lessen it but it was getting to be too much. He managed to roll his body to lie on his side. The only downside to that was that every time the van hit a bump, his head banged into the ground. Either choice was going to bring pain. This was the lesser of the two.

"Thought you Americans brag about taking the pain."

Michael lifted his head and noticed that Phillips was looking at him through the rearview mirror. He gritted out, "You know we did, Phillips. We did better than most."

There was no response and Michael prepared for this not to be a joyride. It wasn't anyway since his lower back was killing him and he was sporting a slight fever and decided not to say a word about it to anyone with the intention of seeing the doctor on his own time. Hindsight was 20/20 and he was reaping the rewards big time. He winced as the cut to his head pulled when he smacked it on the ground again after another jolt. It was followed by a sudden braking.

It felt like sudden braking since Michael wasn't secured to the floor. He slid along it from the inertia and banged into the seat in front of him. He let out a grunt of pain as he tried to roll his body out since it looked like he had been crammed into a narrow spot. He listened as the driver got out and he took a couple of seconds to orient himself and then try to figure out where he was. He noticed that Phillips was not as organized since he allowed him not to be blindfolded but he was organized enough to evade police. Then again they were trained that way. Phillips though was green and he was motivated by revenge of sorts and bad memories.

The back door of the van opened revealing Phillips. Michael swallowed and tried not to react too much to the first reaction. He did struggle, sensing that if he didn't, it would unhinge Phillips from playing out what he had in his memories or fantasy. He spent way too much time listening to Reid talk about cases and he picked up the lingo. He struggled as Phillips grabbed him by the leg and yanked him out of the vehicle.

Michael hit the ground hard and grunted as the pavement scraped his arms. It also didn't do wonders for his back. Bruised kidneys were a pain in the rear and he was paying for it by trying to do the same thing he did every day. He was suddenly yanked to his feet, Phillips' hand was grabbing him on his upper arm. He stumbled slightly and was yanked forward, snapping him into the situation he was in now.

It didn't take much to get a glimpse of where he was at. He look around and focused on where he was being taken. Once he had that, he started reacting, struggling. He fought with Phillips, trying to get free, saying, "You don't have to do this Phillips. Just come with me and we can fix this."

"You Americans are the infidels, the devil."

Michael rolled his eyes slightly as Phillips spoke in badly mangled Arabic. He struggled some more. He tried making himself deadweight since that would throw him off balance. He wasn't going to try to run away but at least get an opportunity to subdue Phillips and then call it in. He didn't want Phillips to be caught in the crossfire.

He was dragged into a nondescript building which he recognized. He used his upper body to try and knock over Phillips to gain an advantage. The problem was that Phillips was a trained operator too. That kind of thing didn't just go away. When the situation presented itself, the body snapped to attention. It was second nature. And Phillips was ready for it.

The punch to the lower back made the memory flash before Michael's eyes. The hit on the same spot brought out the memory of them hitting him in that same spot. They were the ones that gave him the bruised kidneys. Not to mention the scars on his back and the reason he occasionally got a sort of lockjaw on his hand. Another hit flashed the scene and he remembered the location where they had been held and he could see the face of the one who tried to get him to reveal everything they wanted to know.

Another hit came across the face, disoriented Michael. He blinked and his vision became blurry. He felt his body grow limp and Phillips gripped his arms and dragged him. Then as if for good measure Phillips rammed him into something, more likely a cabinet or something. It could've been a wall. He was too disoriented and another slam into his lower back caused him to cry out. The pain was so intense, he blacked out completely.

He had no idea how long it had been but he opened his eyes to find himself in a poorly lit room. He blinked since it felt like the light was being seared into his eyeballs when in fact it was overhead. He took controlled breaths and tried to focus on his surroundings. It was hard because he could feel where Phillips had struck him and his lower back was killing him. He looked around, focusing on the ground and moved his way up slowly. It helped to control the pain and allowed him to focus on the other sounds he was hearing.

Straightening up he looked around. It brought back the painful memories as he took a couple of deep breaths. He turned towards the moans and his eyes came upon two people lying on the ground. He shook his head in sorry. He jolted when the door opened and looked to see Phillips shuffle in with the slight limp he had acquired from that last deployment. He took a breath and asked, "What have you done, Phillips? What are you doing?" He looked up and tried to pull but he was restrained. He looked up at private.

"Isn't it obvious?" Phillips replied as he got behind Michael. He bent so he was level with his ear. "To remember what you did."

~0~0~0~0~0~

This case was turning out to be not the usual especially when one who was suspected as being the unsub was running around and getting themselves abducted. Hotchner wasn't sure whether or not to make a call or not or take over or what. It didn't help that Reid made it clear that he wasn't going to bring in his friend as a suspect and it was clear from the other members of the team that they were starting to think that his friend wasn't the unsub. Now they had more information and from someone that Detective Langston knew.

Sarai Nassar stood there looking at the team holding onto a laptop to her chest. She was looking at the team with a calm countenance that told Hotchner that she wasn't easily intimidated. He suspected that she had experienced a traumatic event of some sort, noting the way how her eyes darted around, looking for any signs of a possible trap. Most would find that unusual since this was a police station. Most people would be comfortable in a place that would make them feel safe.

She was well dressed and groomed, indicating that she was highly educated. She looked at the team like she was going to present a lecture and Hotchner thought he saw a little bit of worry in her features. She surveyed the team but her eyes ended up locked on Reid. That was her focus as she spoke to the group, "He knows who your unsub is."

Hotchner looked at the team and approached her slowly, "And why would Michael know who it is?"

Sarai glanced at Reid before looking at Hotchner. It had been a relief to see that he was there when she did this. It felt terrifying since the risk was that her husband could still be implicated in this, but he had the truth and he refused to call his superior for his "get out of jail free" card. She trusted that he had calculated his probabilities like he followed his favorite college football team's statistics. She took a breath and explained, "Because they served together during his last deployment."

A scoff came from the corner and Baker straightened up where he had been listening, "Like that is likely."

"Baker."

It was a quiet admonishment and attention was focused back on Sarai. She gave a narrowed look at Baker. Mostly it was to defend her husband and she would do that no matter what. The other part was that she could sense serious dislike to borderline hatred. She looked back at Hotchner and replied, "They were on the same ODA detachment."

"And how does this help us?"

Sarai looked at Reid as she explained, "Michael is home on medical leave. The last deployment… it was not… good."

Hotchner studied her and he raised his brow. "If you know something…"

"Plenty, Agent Hotchner," she replied softly, "But… it is an ODA team meaning…"

"Meaning that you need to have clearance," Rossi cut in. He had been studying Sarai and her behavior. He had been impressed with her when they had their chat earlier. She was well spoken and graceful and he had suspected that she knew things that most people wouldn't. She had been guarded in a few of her responses like she was vetting him and Reid. He looked at her with a gentle look, "Right?"

Sarai gave a slight nod. She looked at Hotchner and hugged the laptop closer to her chest. "I can give bare facts but only one of you can view the entire report and I was given permission by my husband to give this laptop to them."

Hotchner nodded and was about to extend his hand but Sarai shook her head slightly. She shifted and looked at Reid as she said, "He said only to his little brother this was to go to."

Hotchner stepped back. He wasn't going to force the issue and if they were going to get to the bottom of this, they needed to play along. He called, "Reid."

Reid knew it was serious when Sarai looked at him and used the endearment that Michael had given him. It was a joke but also the truth. Michael was the same age as he was but a couple of weeks older. It gave them both a couple of laughs since they always tried to boss each other around and Michael ended up winning almost every time. Michael referred to him as little brother and it stuck. So to hear Sarai say it meant that it was serious and no doubt his friend planned this.

Reid knew that he was going to be facing reprimand from Hotchner for refusing to implicate his friend but this was going to put him on the spot. He had tried to keep it to a minimum his knowledge of Michael and what he did for a living. It wasn't possible since the team knew about him and he made an impression. He knew that the team members Michael had interacted with were impressed with him and didn't believe it either. He stepped forward taking a slight breath.

Sarai looked at him and then glanced at Hotchner as she handed Reid the laptop. She then said, "I was told to give it to Reid but in terms of disclosure, I am willing to believe that as long as you are trusted by the designee, it wouldn't violate much. But I wouldn't try hacking." At the look that she got from Hotchner, she replied, "My husband mentioned something about a tech analyst and that she was the best."

Reid wrapped his hands on the laptop as he smiled about the comment regarding Garcia. He knew that Michael had a good memory with someone's description and he could recognize and build a person without having to meet them and when he did, people were impressed and a little freaked out though Reid figured that it would be the cool in Garcia's case. He held the laptop in his hands and studied it as he brought it to the table.

It was a standard issue army laptop. He recognized it from when Michael brought it with him and how he kept a close eye on it. It surprised him at first that he would bring it but he recalled Michael working on it with intensity, like he was looking up something. At the time though he insisted that it had nothing to do with the case. Now he was starting to think that Michael had been doing more than what he said. Reid wasn't upset about that. There were things his friend did that the world was never going to know and probably shouldn't but he had to deal with it.

In a way, that was Michael all over. Even when they were roommates, Michael had always been the one that looked out for him. He got into trouble but always protecting someone else. Michael, despite his weird qualities, was a born gentleman and Sophia had encouraged that along with his self-defense training. It was right that a dormmate called him Don Quixote. Reid could remember that one night when Michael was ready to commit murder because of what happened to that girl. Michael had been lucky not to have been kicked out or gain criminal charges; that would have basically ended his career before it began with the army.

Michael was a protector. Reid knew that much as he opened the laptop and the screen prompted for the password. If there was a virtue and a fault to be attributed to his best friend, it was that. And that was probably why he thrived in the army doing whatever he did. Michael was a good man no matter what anyone said, which was why he refused to believe that he was the unsub and why he wasn't going to help find evidence that would say he was. Here it looked like Michael provided the means of doing that. And it was password protected.

Reid stared at the screen at the username login. It was asking for a password and knowing Michael, it could be anything. It had him at a loss since… He looked at Sarai who was standing there and asked, "Did he give you a password?"

Sarai shook her head, "No. But he did say that you would know the answer to the question he has been trying to get from you since your days at Caltech."

To most people it would have been annoying and Reid heard the scoffing from Baker as well as the rest of the team along with a snide comment about Michael screwing with them again. Reid resisted getting angry as he felt Rossi's hand pat his shoulder while Morgan went to have a few words with Baker. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the man that persisted in hurling abuse at his friend even when he wasn't there to defend himself.

"Hey kid, ignore it," Rossi said, "Right now you need to give the correct password."

"That's the thing," Reid replied, "I'm not sure what it is."

"It's obviously something Mike would think you would know," Rossi pointed out, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice. "Something from your Caltech days that obviously meant something to the both of you."

"We did a lot of things that meant a lot," Reid muttered as he studied the screen. From the looks of the screen it looked like he had one chance to get it right and if he was wrong… He wasn't a computer expert but he knew Michael would have studied basic encryption and probably impress his superiors at his ability to learn and retain knowledge. And he would make it so that if someone like Garcia were to make an attempt… and that was a bad idea anyway. Yep, his friend was good at keeping secrets.

"Think, Reid," Rossi prompted, "What is the one thing that he would ask you and is expecting an answer from you?"

Reid frowned at that as he tried to remember. He ran over all their conversations both school related and not school related. More specifically over conversations that related to their personal lives and how they interacted with others. He remembered those because Michael had been determined to teach him a little of what he knew so that he wouldn't be attacked like he was in high school. There was one that was very specific though. And then it hit him.

If there was one thing that Michael was not ashamed about, it was his belief in a higher power. And there was one that was very specific and there was specific wording. Reid sat back in his chair as he processed the memory.

 _There is one thing that I like doing in my spare time, Spence and that is studying history. I mean learning about the fact that the Babylonians invented the battery before it is officially noted… fascinating. Thing is though, it is all about searching for something greater than we are. It's one of those things that drives us. You know what it is?_

 _I believe in the certainty of science._

 _Good answer, but not the one I am looking for. And it's not the kind of thing you come up with right away, but there is a yearbook answer._

Reid remembered the conversation. Then it dawned on him. "I got it," he said and began typing in the password. He paused and then deleted it and typed it again before pressing 'enter'.

It was a slightly tense moment as the screen changed followed by relief when it came to a new screen. Reid could almost hear Michael saying that he was a good little scholar in that joking tone that never failed to produce a laugh from the both of them. He gave a slight smile as he said, "I'm in."

Rossi patted Reid's shoulder as Reid looked at the laptop and clicked on a folder that looked like it would help and a photo popped up. It was a group shot and right away he recognized Michael. Looking at the others, he guessed that it was a picture of his team. He was going to click on something when a screen popped up and his eyes widened. "Guys."

* * *

 **A/N:** Michael thinks about what happened that is similar to now and gives Reid the keys to figuring out what is going on but looks like there might be a twist. Stay tuned for more Heart-Blood Cement...


End file.
